The Best Bodybuilding Workout for Beginners

There is a concept in the weight room called rookie (or novice) gains, meaning that the first three to six months of any beginning lifter's time in the gym is likely to lead to the best gains of their career. However, maximizing the potential of these novice gains is another story altogether. Too many people waste these precious months performing endless sets of pointless exercises instead of focusing on lifting some serious weight. What follows is a basic program that will produce more than adequate gains for the serious novice lifter.

  1. The Plan

    • Almost all bodybuilding plans should focus around heavy compound exercises, and this will be no exception. The most crucial lifts to perform in the gym are generally the deadlift, the squat, pullups, rows, and the bench press. If you are unsure of how to perform any of these lifts with proper technique, you can find good descriptions by clicking on the "T-Nation" link listed below. Failing that, you can always just ask one of the bigger guys in the gym who looks like he knows his way around--don't be intimidated; they remember when they were just starting out as well.

      The plan will focus on three main lifting days per week. After each exercise, there will be a number listed in this fashion: A*B. "A" represents the number of sets you should perform for that exercise. "B" represents the number of repetitions you should strive to get for each set. Without further ado:

      Monday (legs and abs):
      -Barbell back squat 5*5 (5 sets of 5 repetitions per set)
      -Romanian deadlift 5*5
      -Dumbbell lunges 3*8
      -Weighted straight-leg situps 3*8

      Wednesday (Back):
      -Pullups 5*5 (if pullups are too difficult, perform just the lowering segment by jumping up to the bar and lowering yourself to a 5 to 10 count for each rep)
      -Barbell row 5*5
      -One-arm dumbbell row 3*8
      -EZ Bar Curls 3*8

      Friday (chest):
      -Decline Bench Press 5*5
      -Flat Dumbbell Bench Press 5*5
      -Tricep Dips 3*8
      -EZ Bar Skull Crushers 3*8

    Changing It Up

    • Every week, you should be able to out perform your previous records, even if it is only by a single extra repetition or an extra five pounds on the bar. Without intensity and constantly striving for progress, the body will not feel the need to grow and change. But eventually, you will stagnate on these exercises regardless, and progress will grind to a halt. When it does, switch the exercise out for something new, but maintain the same set-rep scheme as listed (for now). When changing exercises, just vary the angle of the exercise (incline, decline, neutral), the grip position (wide, neutral, or close), the foot placement (shoulder width or wide stance), or the bar placement (e.g. front squats versus back squats). By changing the exercise slightly over time, you ensure that your progress will remain fairly constant.

      As an example, let's say you failed to increase your decline bench for the second week in a row. The following week, change the exercise up by switching your grip (and doing wide or close grip decline bench) or changing the plane of the exercise (by switching to flat or incline bench). By making subtle adjustments to the exercise, you keep your body guessing, forcing it to continue adapting.

    The Kitchen

    • Half the war is fought in the gym, and the other half is fought in the kitchen. Both are necessary to achieve optimal progress. Beginners need not get too complex with their diets: just stick to whole, natural foods like lean cuts of meat, fruit, and vegetables. Try to get at least a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight every single day. By following these simple tips, you will be light years ahead of most other gym novices.