Bodybuilding books

[Teh El Macho]

Thanks for all the answers. 1 question about arnolds book, does it have every free weight and machine exercise imaginable?

Why would you want that? You need to find a simple plan and stick to it. In particular, stay away from machines. They are useful only for what I'd call "intermediate" or "advanced" bodybuilder, someone who already has established a muscular base.

If you are just starting, stick to the basics. Better yet, get Rippetoe's book and follow the StrongLifts' 5x5 program (see my sig) as previously mentioned, or use DeFranco's WS4SB, either approach to be followed w/o interruptions for at least a year.

-- edit --

what foxguitar said.

[Portillo]

Its a good book to start you off.

Do you plan on working out at a gym?

my advice as a beginner stick to free weights and do just the basic compound exercise

bench Press Shoulder press

Rows for the Lats. Squats

Skull crushers. Curls.

Train the bigger muscles first

Most trainers do something like

Chest/Back/ Legs/ shoulders/arms.


Good luck

Thanks. Yeah ive started going to gym.

[foxguitar]

will somebody please pos rep me Im so sick of that dam red varrot LOL

[Emevas]

But generally your body will quickly adapt if yoy bring the same old same old to the gym.

Again, it's this bit of conventional wisdom I don't really agree with, unless we consider adding more resistance or performing more reps every workout to be a "shocking principle", but I always thought that was simply progressive resistance/overload.

I've seen lots of works that spoke in regard to staying on the same routines for long stretches of time, and simply microloading to make steady gains through out the period of a year. This is much of what Stuart McRobert's writings are based on.


I'm not saying that "shocking" doesn't work, I just feel that it's overemphasized in most young trainees. You see kids in the gym that are constantly changing routines because they want to "keep their bodies guessing", even though they never stuck with a routine long enough to get any progress.

[foxguitar]

Again, it's this bit of conventional wisdom I don't really agree with, unless we consider adding more resistance or performing more reps every workout to be a "shocking principle", but I always thought that was simply progressive resistance/overload.

I've seen lots of works that spoke in regard to staying on the same routines for long stretches of time, and simply microloading to make steady gains through out the period of a year. This is much of what Stuart McRobert's writings are based on.


I'm not saying that "shocking" doesn't work, I just feel that it's overemphasized in most young trainees. You see kids in the gym that are constantly changing routines because they want to "keep their bodies guessing", even though they never stuck with a routine long enough to get any progress.

yes you are right new trainees should stick to the old tried and true routines . But after awhile your body will adjust to the same old same old.

shocking the muscles could be a subtle as going higher rep scheme instead of doing 3x8 lets say do 3x15

Some people take the same routine in the gym day after day , but to me and Ive trained for quite awhile would you want to go to a restaurant and order the same thing everyday.

But heres the kicker there is no right or wrong , each trainee has to find for himself or herself what works best for their own body.

The one constant is avoid overtaining your body will hate you for that.

[DannyMac]

Again, it's this bit of conventional wisdom I don't really agree with, unless we consider adding more resistance or performing more reps every workout to be a "shocking principle", but I always thought that was simply progressive resistance/overload.

I've seen lots of works that spoke in regard to staying on the same routines for long stretches of time, and simply microloading to make steady gains through out the period of a year. This is much of what Stuart McRobert's writings are based on.


I'm not saying that "shocking" doesn't work, I just feel that it's overemphasized in most young trainees. You see kids in the gym that are constantly changing routines because they want to "keep their bodies guessing", even though they never stuck with a routine long enough to get any progress.

I just read The Naked Warrior this week and the idea of Greasing the Groove pretty much follows along with what you're saying here.

[foxguitar]

I just read The Naked Warrior this week and the idea of Greasing the Groove pretty much follows along with what you're saying here.

Yikes that sounds obscene LOL:5arg:

[DannyMac]

Its a good book to start you off.

Do you plan on working out at a gym?

my advice as a beginner stick to free weights and do just the basic compound exercise

bench Press Shoulder press

Rows for the Lats. Squats

Skull crushers. Curls.

Train the bigger muscles first

Most trainers do something like

Chest/Back/ Legs/ shoulders/arms.


Good luck

The only thing I disagree with here is is isolation exercises like skull crushers and curls. If he's just starting lifting, then he'll get plenty of volume gain in individual muscles following a solid routine of compound exercises (assuming appropriate nutrition and no weird chemical imbalances.)

The beginner workout that I did when I first got dedicated to getting strong looked like this:

Monday: Bench x 3 sets, Bodyweight Dips x 3 sets, Military Press x 3 sets
Tuesday: Squats x 3 sets, Deadlift x 3 sets
Wednesday: Bodyweight Pullups x 3 sets, Bent over Barbell Row x 3 sets, Good Morning x 2 sets (I added this as my lower back needed some extra bang to get my squats and deadlifts up)
Thursday: Incline Dumbbell Bench Press x 3 sets, Seated Dumbbell Press x 2 sets, Bodyweight Dips x 2 sets
Friday: Bodyweight Pullups x 3 sets, Seated rows x 2 sets, Front Squats x 2 sets

Now, I didn't provide rep ranges because you will run this routine on a three week cycle.

Week 1: 10 - 12 reps
Week 2: 7 - 10 reps
Week 3: 3 - 5 reps

Run the cycle 4 times (or twelve weeks) and you will have built a nice base of muscle endurance, maximal strength, and some mass (once again assuming you are eating appropriately, read the stickies on nutrition.)

I saw very solid results with this routine and it allowed me to work on all of the fundamental exercises for solid core strength. After your 12 weeks, then you can start looking into "functional" training with more endurance work, mass work, explosive work, power work, etc. based on what your goals are going to be.

[DannyMac]

Yikes that sounds obscene LOL:5arg:

Pavel knows not your American sense of decency. (But yes I agree with you that it does sound dirty when you put it all in one sentence.)

[foxguitar]

The only thing I disagree with here is is isolation exercises like skull crushers and curls. If he's just starting lifting, then he'll get plenty of volume gain in individual muscles following a solid routine of compound exercises (assuming appropriate nutrition and no weird chemical imbalances.)

The beginner workout that I did when I first got dedicated to getting strong looked like this:

Monday: Bench x 3 sets, Bodyweight Dips x 3 sets, Military Press x 3 sets
Tuesday: Squats x 3 sets, Deadlift x 3 sets
Wednesday: Bodyweight Pullups x 3 sets, Bent over Barbell Row x 3 sets, Good Morning x 2 sets (I added this as my lower back needed some extra bang to get my squats and deadlifts up)
Thursday: Incline Dumbbell Bench Press x 3 sets, Seated Dumbbell Press x 2 sets, Bodyweight Dips x 2 sets
Friday: Bodyweight Pullups x 3 sets, Seated rows x 2 sets, Front Squats x 2 sets

Now, I didn't provide rep ranges because you will run this routine on a three week cycle.

Week 1: 10 - 12 reps
Week 2: 7 - 10 reps
Week 3: 3 - 5 reps

Run the cycle 4 times (or twelve weeks) and you will have built a nice base of muscle endurance, maximal strength, and some mass (once again assuming you are eating appropriately, read the stickies on nutrition.)

I saw very solid results with this routine and it allowed me to work on all of the fundamental exercises for solid core strength. After your 12 weeks, then you can start looking into "functional" training with more endurance work, mass work, explosive work, power work, etc. based on what your goals are going to be.

I hear ya

I added the Curls and the Skull Crushers because alot of trainers want to do some arm work.

Besides the Bench most guys love training arms while most hate the squat which ironically if you had to pick one exercise to the exclusion of all others. Id pick the squat.

But great post good points