My partner is giving me a routine.

I have yet to come across a beginner who knows everything you need to know about weight training. In fact, unsurprisingly, quite the opposite is often true. A person decides to start training and then seeks advice on what to do. They know what they want to do (lose fat, build big muscles) but have no idea where to start. There is a radical generalization here: most people are looking for advice in the wrong place. They turn to the bodybuilding magazine where the phenom of the moment comments on how he got huge doing facedown inverted push-ups in anti-gravity boots, or his dad, who ‘used to bench press 400lbs,’ or his partner, who’s a bit older and has been going to the gym for a year or so, which makes him 11 stones instead of 10 and earned him the nickname ‘Big Man’ in the youth club…or even more annoying, the ‘Coach physique’, who takes them on a gym tour showing them how to properly use the leg extension and pec dip and prescribes ‘3 sets of each every day’.

Given the popularity of the internet today, we have a new resource for people to turn to for a “get big/skinny routine.” The result of this usually varies between going to the wrong place and ending up following a routine as bad as the one in the magazine example, or going to a place where people know a little more and being prescribed ‘beginner training’ .

Being a qualified personal trainer and sports therapist, I have a bit of a problem with all of the above! There are professionals in every field for a reason. I often like to ask people recommending workouts over the internet how they managed to solve the following:

1. If the person has any postural or structural problem.
2. Whether the person is able to control their core muscles
3. If the person needs balance work, speed work, etc.
4. If the person has a history of injuries that may affect training.
5. If the person is able to do the exercises you are prescribing.
6. Whether the routine you are prescribing will correct any imbalances they may have.
7. If the person is ready for the rep/set range you’ve given them
8. Whether people’s firing patterns for basic moves are currently correct

For example: everyone with a basic knowledge of training knows the following to be true: – ‘Deadlifts are a great workout!’ That statement is true, however, if I had to choose, I would NOT include them in a prescribed routine as a general “beginner’s routine.” Here’s my reasoning: I’ve trained a variety of people of different ages, as well as being a casual observer at many gyms I’ve trained in over the years, and my conclusion is that most people can’t do dead weight. In fact, I can’t do a conventional deadlift myself without putting myself in a potentially dangerous position, and I’ve had back injuries and months off training in the past as a result! Whether it’s due to tight hamstrings, weak glutes, inactive glutes, and inability to activate the core, or any other reason, it can’t be discovered without one-on-one consultation with a trained professional, and more often than not any issue that prevents People deadlifting correctly can be fixed relatively quickly and easily. However, if someone starts doing the exercise wrong and continues uncontrollably, they can easily end up injured. This is where the rumors of deadlifts being dangerous begin!

So what do you suggest?

What I suggest for all beginners is to get an initial evaluation and routine prescribed by someone who knows what they are doing. Honestly, the number of times I read/hear “I just walked into the gym and bought some whey, weight gainer, creatine and tribulus, what routine should I do?” My response would be something like “Get your priorities straight.” People are quick to spend money on miracle weight gainers, but won’t they pay the same amount of money for a routine that ensures they’re training with proper form and less likely to injure themselves? Quick Quiz Time: How much will all your supplements help when you can’t train for 6 months because you hurt your back?

That said, for people who don’t have a choice or access to people who know what they’re doing, here are some guidelines.

1. Make sure you are flexible enough to perform any exercise correctly

You’d think this is pretty obvious, but the number of people who shouldn’t be squatting and who I see still doing the same awkward movement months later because they haven’t paid attention to their flexibility is huge. Tip: If you can’t parallel squat without rounding your back, you shouldn’t be squatting. Do something else and work a lot on your flexibility until you are able to do the movement you want.

2. You may need to do movement preparation for your body to function properly

Something related to point one, if you have trouble doing certain movements, then a specific warm-up can help. If you have tight shoulders and insist on bench pressing, it’s probably a good idea to stretch your pecs and lats and activate your rotator cuff before you try to press. If your glutes aren’t active, you should probably stretch your hip flexors and work on glute activation before getting under a bar. The specific moves, sets, and reps depend on personal circumstances, but it’s worth doing. Here’s an example from my experience: One day I went box squatting. I was in a hurry, so I thought I’d skip the warm-up. Everything felt heavy! 200 kilos, which was ten less than what I had done quite easily the previous week when I was tired, I almost got stuck in the box! At this point, I had a common sense breakthrough and did some basic hip stretches and glute activation between sets, then threw 220 for a 22 pound PB and pulled it off pretty easily. So in my case, not doing the movement setup before squatting = 40 pounds off my 1 rep max. A fair trade for 5 minutes of looking like a girl. I think you will agree!

3. If you don’t know how to activate your core, don’t do it!

That = heavy deadlifts, heavy squats, heavy overhead lifting…in fact, anything heavy. If you don’t know how to stay tight in the core, you’re going to be the guy doing backed deadlifts, leaning back, and turning the overhead press into a ghetto incline, etc.

As much as I hate the modern trend of “working your core” by standing on BOSU balls and doing cable push-ups while kneeling on a Swiss ball, I think the guy who first suggested it had a good idea: If half of your body is like jelly how do you plan on putting a barbell on your back and squatting, or picking something up, or carrying something? Of course, people have taken the idea too far and turned everything into a ‘core’ exercise, but for most people, especially sedentary people, some training in how to activate the core before starting a workout is helpful. intense training. An example of how to do this is to hold a basic plank position. This will require you to keep everything in your midsection tight, otherwise your hips will drop and you will feel pressure in your lower back.

4. Unilateral work is your friend. (Buy him a drink)

If you’ve never worked out before, I bet you have one arm stronger than the other. Probably a stronger leg too. You’re probably tighter on one side and have various other imbalances that you haven’t noticed yet. In this situation, putting a barbell on your back and squatting may not be the best plan (especially if you have little core control, flexibility, etc., as we’ve already covered). What may be more beneficial is something like lunges, split squats, Bulgarian squats (which have the added benefit of also being a hip stretch), or any of the many other single leg variations that will likely work the muscles just as well. effectiveness, but they will work to balance the body rather than promote imbalance and possibly lead to injury. .

5. Do not upload faulty movement patterns

Another one you’d think might be pretty simple. If you can’t squat without a barbell on your back, you can’t squat. Don’t load the bar and do your weird version of the hokey-cokey (roundback remix) on the squat rack. Do something else and practice squats without weights until you have the right movement pattern, then squat (if points 1, 2 and 3 allow it!) Also, remember that the mechanics of your squats are always changing. If you put more weight on the bar, the mechanics change. If you weigh more, the mechanics have changed. The lesson here is to always think about form, always giving yourself hints, getting good training partners to check your form or videotaping yourself and being a harsh critic. Strive for perfection and you’re less likely to allow your form to deteriorate as weight is added to the bar.

In conclusion, the best thing a beginner can do is get someone who knows what they’re doing to check their imbalances/shooting patterns/form etc. and prescribe a routine to ensure a productive and safe start to your training career. However, if you can’t do that, at least have some common sense and try to follow the basic guidelines above. Good luck with training, to a long weightlifting career without injury!