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Novice lifting 4-5x per week. Will it work?

Shfiftyfive
Shfiftyfive Posts: 261
edited December 2024 in Social Groups
So, I have this idea for how to get my fat *kitten* to actually want to work out 5 days a week: lift every day. I actually enjoy lifting unlike a lot of other forms of exercise. However, I'm not sure if this will just burn me out. My main goal is to lose weight. I want to keep my strength, if not get stronger, but weight (read: fat) loss is the primary goal. How could I go about this, if I should at all?

Replies

  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Just thinking out loud here... maybe make 3 of the days your regular routine, and on the extra days throw in stuff for fun that you wouldn't normally do. Maybe curls, calf raises. Definitely do barbell complexes. They rule. Maybe throw in some sets of squats, deadlifts, and bench for reps (with way reduced weight of course).

    To summarize, sure, why the heck not!
  • Not sure what kind of program though. Right now I do Press and RDL one day and Squat, Bench, and Row another day and then **** around in the gym on the 3rd day.
  • Maybe I'll just do 5/3/1 with barbell complexes on the off day. Only thing is I'm cutting out Deadlifts. I've tweaked my back trying to do them too many times now, and it's mainly because I cannot get into an optimal position to pull from the floor. Going to replace them with Rack Pulls or pulling from blocks I think. I know it's a bit of a copout, but this will allow me to pull heavy *kitten* weights without worrying about ****ing up my back again.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    You're supposed to let your muscle rest at least a day. So if you want to do 4-5 days a week you'll need to do upper / lower body spits, or body part splits instead of full body workouts. When I was doing splits they went something like this:

    Squats
    lunges
    leg isolation stuff

    Bench
    Rows
    Lat Pull downs
    shoulder isolation
    arm isolation
  • splashangel
    splashangel Posts: 494 Member
    This was given to me by Cessna. I like it. So I copied and will paste it for you.

    If this is your first time weight lifting then you want to get yourself acquainted with the anatomy of your body. There are exercises that target more than one muscle group, and there are exercises that target a specific muscle group. After getting to know the anatomy of your body it is important to find out what exercises you can use to work those body parts. Some people lift weights 3 times a week, and other lift weights 4 times a week. It is important to get adequate rest in between workouts and that is the reason why people lift in average in between those days. Usually the muscles that are heaviest heal slower than your smaller muscles. Some people work out 1 big muscle group, and a small muscle group during the session when they first start. As your workouts get more advance you will know what works best for you.

    Look at this website for me please!

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

    Beginner Workout

    4 day split (rough draft something i created quick as an example)

    1. Chest/ Tricep 3 sets 8 reps x 2 exercises for each body part

    2. Quads/ Calves 3 sets 8 reps x 2 exercises for each body part

    3. back/ bicep 3 sets 8 reps x 2 exercises for each body part

    4. shoulders hamstrings 3 sets 8 reps x 2 exercises for each body part.


    This pretty much stats you at 12 sets per workout session. You can always tone this down.

    I choose my exercises from the site he recommended. Bodybuilding.com It has short videos of the excercise being performed so you can get your form right. This is important. Hope this helps you as much as it has me.

    This stuff I got from a post of determinednoob
    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=137364463
    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224
    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224
    Just to get you started and maybe answer a few questions.
  • invictus8
    invictus8 Posts: 258 Member
    The earliest you can work out a muscle again is 48-72 hours (for maximal recovery). Usually novices (including myself in this category) lift too often... it's almost counter-intuitive, but lifting less often (but consistently!) is the most effective way to build lean body mass.
  • FoxyMcDeadlift
    FoxyMcDeadlift Posts: 771 Member
    If you're a novice, do a novice programme.

    Starting Strength, Stronglifts, PPP are all good.

    If you want to do 5/3/1 Jim drew up a template for beginners

    http://www.jimwendler.com/2011/09/531-for-a-beginner/
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    like the idea of a 4x per week 5/3/1 template. Replace the deads with block pulls if that's what you need to do to avoid injury.

    If you want a 5th day, go push the prowler one day after a leg day.

    M Bench
    T Squat
    W Prowler
    Th Overhead
    Fri or Sat Rack Pulls, front squats, etc

    (Just a template idea. I train on weekends too when I do 5/3/1 so I can get an extra rest day in between heavy days)

    Since you aren't able to train your deadlift from the floor you can alternate in the SSB on your rack pull days to really hit the posterior chain.
    I started using the SSB a couple months ago and my deadlift and squat have both shot up dramatically.
  • like the idea of a 4x per week 5/3/1 template. Replace the deads with block pulls if that's what you need to do to avoid injury.

    If you want a 5th day, go push the prowler one day after a leg day.

    M Bench
    T Squat
    W Prowler
    Th Overhead
    Fri or Sat Rack Pulls, front squats, etc

    (Just a template idea. I train on weekends too when I do 5/3/1 so I can get an extra rest day in between heavy days)

    Since you aren't able to train your deadlift from the floor you can alternate in the SSB on your rack pull days to really hit the posterior chain.
    I started using the SSB a couple months ago and my deadlift and squat have both shot up dramatically.

    I want a prowler so badly, but I don't have access to one! :(
    Don't have access to a SS bar either. I'd consider the front squat, but I can never get my elbows/wrists in the right position for a traditional one. Is there a different variation that doesn't require me to be a contortionist?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    You're supposed to let your muscle rest at least a day.
    Why? Is training the same muscles on 2 consecutive days always bad, or just not normally recommended for beginners?
  • ouija86
    ouija86 Posts: 138 Member
    So, I have this idea for how to get my fat *kitten* to actually want to work out 5 days a week: lift every day. I actually enjoy lifting unlike a lot of other forms of exercise. However, I'm not sure if this will just burn me out. My main goal is to lose weight. I want to keep my strength, if not get stronger, but weight (read: fat) loss is the primary goal. How could I go about this, if I should at all?

    This:
    This was given to me by Cessna. I like it. So I copied and will paste it for you.

    If this is your first time weight lifting then you want to get yourself acquainted with the anatomy of your body. There are exercises that target more than one muscle group, and there are exercises that target a specific muscle group. After getting to know the anatomy of your body it is important to find out what exercises you can use to work those body parts. Some people lift weights 3 times a week, and other lift weights 4 times a week. It is important to get adequate rest in between workouts and that is the reason why people lift in average in between those days. Usually the muscles that are heaviest heal slower than your smaller muscles. Some people work out 1 big muscle group, and a small muscle group during the session when they first start. As your workouts get more advance you will know what works best for you.

    Look at this website for me please!

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

    Beginner Workout

    4 day split (rough draft something i created quick as an example)

    1. Chest/ Tricep 3 sets 8 reps x 2 exercises for each body part

    2. Quads/ Calves 3 sets 8 reps x 2 exercises for each body part

    3. back/ bicep 3 sets 8 reps x 2 exercises for each body part

    4. shoulders hamstrings 3 sets 8 reps x 2 exercises for each body part.

    If you're trying to burn off the fat, this would be the way to go imo. This will work essentially every part of your body more thoroughly than a lot of beginner programs. So long as you remember form is by far the most important thing when doing any lift, you'll be training at the right weight. The more muscle breakdown, the more calories your body burns repairing itself, and most likely you'll be burning more in the gym too.

    Also cardio is very important, even just 10-15 minutes of light cardio (4mph walk on a treadmill) at the end of your workout will help you shed some weight and improve your cardio system.
  • ouija86
    ouija86 Posts: 138 Member
    You're supposed to let your muscle rest at least a day.
    Why? Is training the same muscles on 2 consecutive days always bad, or just not normally recommended for beginners?

    Entirely depends on your goals.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member

    I want a prowler so badly, but I don't have access to one! :(
    Don't have access to a SS bar either. I'd consider the front squat, but I can never get my elbows/wrists in the right position for a traditional one. Is there a different variation that doesn't require me to be a contortionist?

    Damn I was thinking you were still at orlando BB.

    You could still hit that basic template, just figure out something for conditioning or recovery. Duno what your situation is like but if you have a house/garage etc I'd reccommend making a sled. I spent 20-30 bucks making a decent sled for dragging and it's great.

    I have the same problem with front squats dude. my wrist flexibility is embarassing. I guess you could always squat, box squat, or do GMs to supplement your rack pulls
  • Starting 5/3/1 on Monday. Going to do something along the lines of the "Triumvirate" assistance exercises. Except I'll be replacing Good Mornings and Hanging Leg Raises with Back Raises (on a 45 Degree Back Raise Bench) and a different ab exercise. Also, need to find a replacement for Dips since I can't do those just yet.
This discussion has been closed.