It can be seriously overwhelming trying to figure out how to structure your workouts and progress as a total newbie. Well, I want to make it simple for you.
In this beginner's guide, I'll break down step-by-step how to set up an amazing strength training program that will have you seeing some serious gains!
Let's do this.
Train Your Full Body 2-3 Days Per Week
The first step is to structure your program around full-body workouts 2-3 days per week. Here's why this approach rules for beginners:
Hitting all your major muscle groups in each session allows for super high training frequency, which is key for strength and size gains as a beginner. Research consistently shows that 2-3 full body workouts per week is ideal.
Spreading the load over multiple shorter sessions prevents you from frying your muscles and CNS with excessively long workouts. Beginners simply recover faster with a full body split.
It's time efficient to train everything in one shot. You maximize results without spending hours and hours in the gym.
A good example full body routine might include:
Back Squats: 3 sets of 8-10 reps. Get deep and drive hard out of the hole.
Bench Press: 3 sets of 8-10 reps. Control it on the way down.
Bent Over Rows: 3 sets of 8-10 reps. Retract those shoulder blades.
Stiff Leg Deadlifts: 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps. Light weight, hinge at the hips.
Get the idea? By pairing heavy compound lifts together, you torch your whole body in one efficient workout.
Do this 2-3 times a week and the gains will come fast.
Space Out Your Training Sessions
Volume is great, but too much too fast will crush you as a novice. You gotta space out those training sessions to avoid burnout.
Take at least 1 full rest day between workouts, but no more than 2-3 days off as a newbie. Your muscles need time to recover.
A typical beginner split might look like:
Monday: Workout
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Workout
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Workout
Weekend: Rest
This allows you to train hard and heavy during your sessions since you know rest is coming up. No need to hold back!
Don't train through extreme soreness. Listen to your body and take recovery seriously as a novice.
Crank up the Volume and Intensity Over Time
Alright, this is where the gains start coming. To build strength and size, you need progressive volume and intensity. Here's how to dial it in:
Focus on ramping up your overall weekly training volume by adding sets, reps, and exercises over time. Research shows hitting at least 9 hard sets per major muscle group is a great starting point.
Lift with solid intensity each set, around 8-12 reps per set. This rep range maximizes mechanical tension on the muscles.
Increase weight on the bar each session and aim for more reps on your sets over time. The key is progressive overload.
Don't add too much volume or weight each session. Make small, steady increases to avoid overdoing it.
Use Progressive Overload
This right here is the bread and butter of any effective routine. Progressive overload is how you force the body to keep adapting over time.
The main tools are steadily increasing the weight on the bar, adding reps, decreasing rest between sets, and advancing to more challenging exercises over time.
Don't make huge jumps. Add a little bit more weight or an extra rep each session or week to drive further progress.
Techniques like drop sets, rest-pause sets, and supersets can help overload the muscles within a single workout too. Get creative!
Here's a basic progression for increasing weight on an exercise:
Week 1: 3 x 8 reps @ 135 lbs
Week 2: 3 x 10 reps @ 135 lbs
Week 3: 3 x 8 reps @ 145 lbs
See how you nudge the weight and reps forward little by little? That's effective overload.
Pick the Right Exercises for Your Goals
The exercises you choose for your routine make all the difference. As a beginner, you want to focus on big compound lifts supplemented by some isolation moves.
Exercises like squats, deadlifts, presses, rows, and pull-ups are excellent compound moves that train multiple muscle groups at once. These should form the core of your routine.
Isolation exercises like curls, extensions, and raises help bring up smaller muscle groups. Add a few of these after your compounds, but don't go overboard.
A good balanced beginner workout might look like:
Compound lower body
Compound push
Compound pull
Isolation move
Repeat sequence 2-3 times
This type of setup checks all the boxes - the big lifts for overall development supplemented with targeted isolation work where needed.
Let Us Help!
If you need extra guidance designing a customized program tailored to your goals as a novice, the expert coaches at Beyond Biomechanics can help.
We can craft a personalized workout plan based on your individual needs. Reach out for a consultation today and we'll have you training smarter and seeing results faster.
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