Strength Training question

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Jlmervin03
Jlmervin03 Posts: 152 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello all, quick question:
How many different exercises and reps/set am I supposed to be doing per body part?
Example: On leg day, I do 6 different excercises, 15 reps of each, 3 sets. Does that sound right?
Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited January 2015
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    As a beginner I would opt for a full body routine rather than a split.

    There are numerous beginner programs out there and I would go with one of those. It takes a vast amount of knowledge to program your own routine and you're far more likely to expose yourself to greater risk of injury, overtrain, and muscle imbalances.

    Your desired rep range is going to be largely dependent on your goals. 1-6 reps for optimal strength, 8-12 reps for hypertrophy, 12-20 reps for muscular endurance.
  • Jlmervin03
    Jlmervin03 Posts: 152 Member
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    That makes sense, thanks! Can you recommend a beginner program?
  • hazleyes81
    hazleyes81 Posts: 296 Member
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    What does your overall program look like? There's really no need for dividing your workout by body parts, especially when it comes to upper body components. What six exercises are you doing? Are you using free weights or machines?

    Like many others, I like to promote the benefits of heavier sets (~6-8 reps) but for a beginner 12-15 is fine to help you learn your form, strengthen soft tissue, and develop your stabilizers.

    Five to six is a good number of exercises and is around what I do. It's enough to get a good workout without feeling too worn out to do my last sets.
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
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    Since you’re saying strength training, you should go with lower reps (4 - 8reps). Also, being a beginner, you should limit yourself to compound movements (Squats, Deadlift, pull-ups, bench press, and overhead press).
  • Jlmervin03
    Jlmervin03 Posts: 152 Member
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    I actually just started, last night I did 30 min cardio, and worked solely on abs. Today I planned on doing legs. I have an app that has various exercises for each body part. I was just going to pick 6 and change it up every week, I use free weights and exercise machines. So should I do upper body one day, then lower body the next?
  • missADS1981
    missADS1981 Posts: 364 Member
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    I aim to do 8-10 reps max for 3 sets. anything more than 10 is a cardio benefit and less of a strength training benefit.

    I do 6 exercises with 3 super sets. I do lower body day and upper body day. 5x a week of training and spend about 45 minutes in the gym lifting.
  • JessLosesIt50
    JessLosesIt50 Posts: 9 Member
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    Look into The New Rules of Lifting for Women. It is a great beginner program. A couple of others that people like (but I don't have personal experience with) are StrongLifts 5x5 and Starting Strength. Sticking to a program will really help to take the guesswork out of getting into lifting. Good luck!
  • quellybelly
    quellybelly Posts: 827 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Look up the Stronglifts 5x5 program -- it's a great strength training program for beginners! That's what I started with and I would definitely recommend it. It's easy to follow and there's an app that helps you figure out how much to start with and add each workout. Good luck :)
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
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    Some great beginner's programs (which can be used for lengthy periods of time like 6 months to over a year):
    Starting Strength
    Stronglifts
    New Rules of Lifting
    New Rules of Lifting for Women

    Those have preset programs, which is the best course of action if you are a newbie. The best thing you can do is find a program you like and follow it without changing it. It is tried and true for a reason: because it works the way it is written. These programs give you a rough estimate of what weight you should lift and for how many reps and sets.

    I started with a program designed by a trainer, then moved to NROLFW and am now currently doing Stronglifts. I saw huge changes when I started NROLFW and have seen even greater ones now that I'm doing Stronglifts.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    What wolfman said.

    With regards to the request for beginner's programs:

    http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki
    http://stronglifts.com/
    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843
    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/the-beginner-weight-training-workout-routine/


    But, like wolfman mentioned - it depends upon your goals. What are they, so we can better assist?
  • lizzy00125
    lizzy00125 Posts: 138
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    New Rules of Lifting for Women is a great introductory book. I knew little about weight training when I started lifting. I was mostly a cardio queen. This book gave me a really good base and explained how to do different movements. It gives you a plan to follow.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Jlmervin03 wrote: »
    That makes sense, thanks! Can you recommend a beginner program?

    New Rules of Lifting For Women is a great place to start. It's a good, all around fitness oriented lifting program more than a true "strength" program (i.e. heavy weights, low reps). Strong Curves is also good, but according to my wife New Rules is a better starting point. It's also a good read in that it helps explain what you should be doing, why you should be doing it, and why you shouldn't be afraid of a bar bell.

    My wife has done both of those programs and prefers Strong Curves, but she said it could be a bit intimidating for a beginner. New Rules gets a bit convoluted in the later programming (which is where she switched over programs) but is a good initial introduction to lifting.

    These are both books you can find relatively inexpensively on-line. I would imagine you could find them in the public library as well.

    Other programs like Starting Strength and Strong Lifts are also great beginner programs, but are definitely "strength" oriented..yes, you will achieve great aesthetics, but the primary focus of these programs is building pure, raw strength. Of the two, I prefer Starting Strength as it is a 3x5 format vs a 5x5 format...in my experience, the lesser volume is favorable to noobs and to people dieting...5x5 is quite a bit of volume and many people have recovery issues, especially when they're dieting.
  • Jlmervin03
    Jlmervin03 Posts: 152 Member
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    Thanks everyone!

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