Just joined the gym, is my workout program any good?

My routine is this:
3 days weight training
2 days cardio
Weights are focused on a major and minor muscle group. For example:
Day 1: chest and shoulders (both push exercise)
Day 2: Cardio run with body weight intervals.
Day 3: Legs and calves
Day 4: Cardio Row, + body weight intervals.
Day 5: Back and biceps (both pull exercise)

If you focus on those muscle groups and hit them hard, you will have more gains and give those parts more time to recover on subsequent days.
Look up a wide range of exercise and mix it up. Make sure your form is good. You can also mix up the push pull and which small muscle you pair with larger. For legs, always include quads and hamstrings. These are your largest muscles. If you are just starting use a machine.

 

First, good job on joining a gym and going 3 times per week. 3 times is better then zero times. As the previous response said, be sure to focus on form first. You want to have good form before trying to move big weight around.

I would structure the program a little differently if I was going 3 days per week.

Day 1 Upper Body:
Chest - Bench Press, Incline Press, Flys
Back - Lat Pulldown, rows, pull ups
Shoulders - Shoulder Press, Lateral Raise
Biceps - Curls
Triceps - Pushdowns, Tricep Press
Depending on how much time you have, I would work through doing the big muscle groups first, so 3-4 sets for Chest and 3-4 sets for Back. And then move onto the smaller muscles, with 3 sets for Shoulders, 3 sets for Biceps, and 3 sets for Triceps. if you still have time either work through another round or just work the big muscles (chest and back) again.

Day 2 Lower Body:
Leg Press, Squats, Leg Extension, Leg Curls (seating or lying), Calf Raises, RDLs, glute bridges, lunges, bulgarian split squats
I would start with 3-4 sets of Squats or Leg Press then move onto the exercises that focus on individual muscle groups like leg extensions, leg curls, and calf raises.

Day 3 Full Body:
I would make a mix of full body. Focus on the big movements like Bench Press, Barbell Rows, Deadlifts. Or if you feel there is a specific area you want to work on focus on those muscle groups.

Another idea for you is that most gyms will offer at least one free personal training session with one of their trainers. If your gym does offer that I would take advantage of it and schedule one session (or however many free sessions you can get) so you can talk with the personal and get their input onto the best workout program for you.

Of course with any workout program, nutrition is key. I am going to assume as a skinny underweight guy you want to put on some weight and muscle, so you're going to have to eat a lot but try and make it healthy food. Sure a pizza or other junk food every once is a while is okay, but I would not consume it every day.

And of course if there any health concerns talk to your doctor too.

 

I think generally anything between 10-12 reps should be good for all exercises.

 

The problem with working out every body part is that it takes too long and if you really fatigue one area one day, you are done the next day. The larger the muscle group, the more time it needs to recover. You'll find that once you hit legs hard, you will need 3-4 days to recover when you are starting out. Also, if you don't give each part time to recover you can cause injury. Body weight is the exception, in that you can generally do push ups or air squats everyday and not cause injury. If you know you're going to be missing a few days, then do a full body before that. This routine is really just old school body building.

Also you can mix up the reps, one week or one month do high reps 15-20, another do mid 8-12 and another do low 4-8. The key is you want to do enough weight so that you are barely able to complete the last rep. The lower the rep count, the more sets of that rep you want to do. For example a lot of builders like 5 sets of 5 for strength building. But I would only do that for a week or month, and then do mids or highs after that. Remember you are supposed to rest between each set for at least a minute, or you can superset with a small muscle group in between. I prefer supersets.

 

..thanks....

 

haha well Im also slim but not because of apathy but gastric problems. Also want to get back into structural chape like having enough weight to be strong.

 

lets chat

 

1. Focus on Compound Exercises: Compound exercises, which involve multiple muscle groups and joints, are highly effective for building overall strength and muscle mass. Examples include bench press, shoulder press, lat pulldown, and leg press. Make sure to prioritize these exercises in your routine.
   
   
2. Progressive Overload: To stimulate muscle growth, it's important to progressively increase the weight or resistance you're using over time. Aim to gradually increase the weight you lift as you get stronger. This can help ensure continued progress and prevent plateaus.
   
   
3. Nutrition: Building muscle requires adequate nutrition, including enough protein to support muscle repair and growth. Make sure you're consuming enough calories and protein to support your workouts and muscle-building goals.
   
   
4. Recovery: Allow your muscles time to recover between workouts. This may involve taking rest days or ensuring you're getting enough sleep each night. Proper recovery is essential for muscle growth and overall performance.
   
   
5. Consistency: Consistency is key when it comes to seeing results in the gym. Stick to your workout routine and make it a priority to exercise regularly, even if you can only make it to the gym three times a week.
   
   
6. Consider seeking guidance from a certified personal trainer: A professional trainer can help you create a customized workout plan tailored to your specific goals and needs. They can also provide guidance on proper form, technique, and progression.

Overall, your workout routine is a good starting point, but consider incorporating these suggestions to optimize your muscle-building efforts. Remember to listen to your body and adjust your routine as needed to ensure continued progress

 

sound likr good regimens but I have some structrural problems...just have to be careful...

 

What do you guys think about posting your workouts of the day? I'm always looking for ways to switch things up, and motivate me in my workouts. Getting feedback is also good. On the weekends I tend to do a long cardio at home. Today I'm planning on an hour of mountain biking.

 

As a former "skinny guy" myself, here's my advice:

If you want to pack on muscle, the best way to arrange your workouts is to construct them around tried-and-true compound lifts--and to lift heavy. That means pick a weight that you can only do 4-6 reps with. And then once you hit 6 reps, you add 5 lbs. until you can lift that weight 6 times ... then add another 5 lbs, etc. etc. Progressive overload will help you build mass.

I work out 6 days per week--but you can use this same exact staggered plan for 3 days per week. In almost all lifts, I'm doing 3 sets, 4-6 reps per set, 2m30s rest between sets. You'll be lifting heavy, so make sure on lifts like bench press and incline that you're using safety bars if you don't have a spotter.

Day 1: Chest & Shoulders

Incline Bench
Flat Bench
Standing military press (aka overhead shoulder press)
Weighted dips
Cable lateral delt raises
Abs - Cable crunches or whatever resistance abs work you prefer (abs is one area where I prefer high reps--knock out 20-30 per set so you develop dense, strong abs, and not puffy "big" abs)

(If your goal is to build mass, I wouldn't worry much about isolating your biceps and triceps. Those will get plenty of work in the compound lifts)

Day 2: Back

Deadlift
Pull-ups or Lat pulldowns
T-Bar row
Reverse-grip pullups (palms toward you--these are amazing for building your biceps!). If you can't do a pull-up, see if your gym has an assisted pull-up station, or maybe some resistance bands you can use to help provide some support.
Calf raises

Day 3: Legs

Squats
Barbell lunges
Romanian Deadlifts
Hip thrusts
Leg curls

 

^^^^ Everything this man said is the most tried-and-true consensus there is regarding fitness.

 

hi former skinny guy, glad to have guys like you here, what was your starting point (mass/height)?
most of my post adolescent life i was around 55-60kg heavy (187cm so yeah feather weight).
i started to regularly ride the bike and my thighs grew, i started being 63kg...
since october/november i have a routine:

• of 3 times a week,
• 6xN (5-10 depending on the exercise) of:

1. chin ups (? i lift my self with my arms holding a bar up near the ceiling, i don't know the name),
2. push ups,
3. and abs (don't know the name of the exercise either, i'm on the floor, on my back lifting my torso up)

​

• i fill myself with meat/cheese/cereal proteins, it's hard to reach the number (found from the Andrew Huberman x Andy Galpin hypertrophy episode)... it's the hardest for me as i have a small appetite overall, i don't like to stuff myself. max 170-180g of proteins i find that tough.

i've seen result and now i am back after a 5 week break (i had a bad relapse) and it's not gone :-D!
i ride the bike to work so there's that also, not much of an options and this really exhaust me down i think i need to be better at recovery... i really would love to not have to train every day if i could to do some more "creative" projects. and i also carry my groceries, that's very 2 in 1 since it's 5+kg each hand when there's a lot .
these are not recommendations, just what i did and something i found i could do and maintain, body weight is really the go to if someone sees something not to do here please anyone tell me. i don't want to be heavy, i just want to have a body people can aspire to. and it's better for hugs.

may the skeleton team dominate the world someday haha :-D.

 

I just have a couple ot health concerns before embarking into heavy weight lifting...but yeah beo..Im all for it....

 

What are your health concerns?

 

I was about 170 lbs. at 5'11" (77 kg at 180 cm). I was between 170-180 for years and years ... it seemed like no matter what I did, I couldn't break through that window. When I started lifting heavy, I put on some mass ... but I confess that also might have been due to age and the simple fact of my metabolism slowing down. I was able to put on weight in a way I hadn't before. Today, I'm around 195 lbs.

 

knees and running......