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The Best Workout for Beginners
If you’re looking for the best workout for beginners, then look no further.
I know how frustrating it can be, searching around, trying to figure out where to start. There’s literally a million different “gurus” saying that you should do this, or that you should do that. It’s incredibly confusing.
I was in the same boat about a decade ago, and I wasted years following stupid routines that don’t work.
Most people will tell you to do a split, but in my experience most people also don’t know what they’re talking about.
The best workout for beginners, HANDS DOWN, is Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength.
The Mistake That 95% of Newbies Make
Most so called gurus out there, say that the best workout for beginners is some sort of a split.
So, most beginners do a “split,” and work out 4-5 days a week focusing in on specific body parts for 8-12 reps.
Well, when you’re first starting out, this is actually the worst thing that you could possibly do.
Splits are only good if you’ve been working out for several years and already have a solid base of strength that you’re trying to build upon.
If you’re a newbie, this obviously isn’t the case. If you’re a newbie, you lack the foundation of muscle necessary to make a split effective.
When you’re just starting off, the best thing to do is to lift heavy for low reps. The best workout for beginners is one that consists entirely of compound lifts.
This will accomplish three things:
- You’ll build massive amounts of strength very quickly (I’m talking a 200% increase in just a month)
- You’ll only spend a few days a week in the gym, so it’ll be easy to make the new habit stick.
- You’ll establish a strong foundation of muscle fibers that you can later grow with a split.
The Best Exercises for Newbies
As I said before, the best workout for beginners is one that consists of compound lifts. But just what are compound lifts?
Compound lifts are barbell-based exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time.
This will not only put more stress on your entire body (which will lead to greater muscular development), but it will also maximize your time in the gym.
By doing a few compound lifts per workout, you can work nearly every single muscle in your body. This is very important when you’re a newbie, because it allows you to build up a strong base of muscle before you fine tune it later with a split.
Here are the most popular compound lifts:
1. Squat
![barbell-squat[1]](http://i2.wp.com/www.masculinedevelopment.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/barbell-squat1.jpg)
The squat is the king of all compound lifts. It works pretty much every muscle in your body, with a huge emphasis on your legs.
Your legs will obviously grow, because you’re squatting it up and down.
But it also works your core, which has to support the barbell, your shoulders/arms, which have to hold up the barbell and prevent it from slipping, and your back which has to maintain a strong posture to support the barbell.
In short, squatting works every muscle in your body.
If someone is telling you that they have the best workout for beginners, but it doesn’t contain the squat, literally tell them to shut the fuck up and then ignore everything else that they say, because they have no idea what they’re talking about.
When you’re a beginner and you’re trying to get into lifting, you MUST squat. Squatting is hands down the most important exercise for beginners, because it builds an incredibly amount of muscle in a very short period of time.
It’s also been shown to increase testosterone and growth hormone levels, which equates to more muscle and vitality…not to mention higher sex drive.
2. Deadlift
![BarbellDeadlift[1]](http://i2.wp.com/www.masculinedevelopment.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/BarbellDeadlift1.jpg)
The deadlift is another full body exercise – some would say it’s even more taxing than squats.
Deadlifts work your lower back, hamstrings, and traps especially.
They also work your arms, from holding onto the bar, your hamstrings/calves to pull it up, your back, and your core.
Again, if someone says that they have the best workout for beginners, but don’t include a deadlift in it, literally ignore them.
No, deadlifts are not “bad for your back,” if you learn to do them with right form. Deadlifts actually strengthen your back and make you less susceptible to injury.
They are an integral part of any workout for beginners.
3. Bench Press
![Bench-Press[1]](http://i1.wp.com/www.masculinedevelopment.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Bench-Press1.jpg)
Ah, the bench press – the quintessential “man’s lift.”
Guys in the locker room always arguing about how much they can bench and using it as a metric to determine who reigns supreme.
The bench press is an upper body exercise – it torches your arms, shoulders, and pecs all at once.
Some would argue that it’s the most effective exercise for building upper body strength. Personally, I would disagree. I do believe that it’s the most functional upper body exercise, however.
4. Overhead Press
![how-to-overhead-press-a-beginners-guide-graphics-3[1]](http://i0.wp.com/www.masculinedevelopment.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/how-to-overhead-press-a-beginners-guide-graphics-31.jpg)
Sometimes referred to as the military press, this exercise is by far the best for building a strong, wide back and shoulders.
If you’re trying to build that oh-so-sought-after V-taper, don’t waste your time with lateral raises or pull-ups (at first).
The king of building broad shoulders is the overhead press.
5. Power Clean
![Power-Clean-exercise[1]](http://i0.wp.com/www.masculinedevelopment.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Power-Clean-exercise1.jpg)
The power clean is one of the best exercises for building explosive upper body strength and power.
It works your entire body, with an emphasis on the shoulders, back, and core.
The legs are worked from generating enough power to pull the barbell up to your chest.
The shoulders, traps, and arms are worked by pulling it up far enough for you to get your elbows underneath it.
The back and core are worked by you having to support yourself, so that you don’t topple over from the barbell’s momentum.
Putting It All Together: Starting Strength
Starting Strength incorporates every single one of these exercises into a single routine.
This is why Starting Strength is, by far, the best workout for beginners.
When I first did Starting Strength, I was astounded with the progress.
I had just gotten over major surgery, so I’d lost pretty much all of my muscle gains. I decided to try out Starting Strength and see where it took me.
In just 6 months my lifts went from pathetic to beastly:
- Squat: 45 to 285
- Bench: 45 to 195
- Deadlift: 95 to 350
- Overhead press: 45 to 155
- Power Clean: 45 to 225
Starting strength works. Do it, and you won’t be disappointed.
I recommend that you actually buy the book, however, to get a solid background on form and technique. Mark Rippetoe goes very in depth into the intricacies of using proper form, something which is often ignored.
The Routine
The routine was developed by a man named Mark Rippetoe, who holds several powerlifting records. As I’ve said, it’s the best workout for beginners because it’s based around some very simple concepts.
Lift heavy weight, do compound lifts, maximize your time in the gym, and don’t waste your energy on stupid splits that won’t get you anywhere as a beginner.
Here’s a few notes on the workout:
- You work out 3 days a week
- There are two different routines: A and B
- You alternate the two, with a rest day in between
- Low repetitions are the best to build brute strength
With this in mind, let’s look at the two different days that you’ll alternate.
Routine A
Squat: 3×5
Overhead Press: 3×5
Deadlift: 1×5
Routine B
Squat: 3×5
Bench press: 3×5
Power Cleans 5×3
So your two weeks would look like this:
- Week 1 Monday: Day A
- Week 1 Wednesday: Day B
- Week 1 Friday: Day A
- Week 2 Monday: Day B
- Week 2 Wednesday: Day A
- Week 2 Friday: Day B
Do you see the concept? You workout three days a week, with a rest day in between each one, and you alternate between Routine A and Routine B.
Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training
I would highly recommend checking out Mark Rippetoe’s book – he explains everything in depth.
I actually bought it even after I’d been lifting for years, and I do not regret it.
Mark’s insight into squatting technique and strength building is absolutely insane.
For years I thought that I’d been doing all these exercises right…I was wrong.
I would’ve killed to have had this book when I first started working out – I would’ve saved hours of time in the gym, and built twice the strength in half the time.
This is definitely going on my list of books that every man should read.
Paperback Edition (Amazon Prime)
Until Next Time,
-Jon
About the Author Jon Anthony
After learning to successfully trade the market, build a six pack, start a social circle from scratch, and increase his IQ by 15 points, Jon Anthony has decided to teach others how they can, too. He plans to move to Las Vegas next year to invest in real estate and live it up.
