Need advice for making friend a routine

[lavi]

My "training partner," like me, is relatively new to lifting. For months I keep telling him to do a structured and consistent routine and he finally got annoyed and said he would follow whatever I make him.

I know he wants size/str and a 3x per week fullbody workout. I'm not sure on # of sets/reps to put for him. I was thinking 3x5-8 for compound stuff and 2x5-8 for more isolation excercises like curls. Or maybe some form of pyramid sets?

He said he'd do what I say, so I was thinking maybe torture him with 20-rep breathing squats

 

[wildonsquats]

Like all beginners most likely he isn't gonna like lots of different exercises thrown at him. Also since you're looking at a 3x week full body workout, you'd better keep the sets down unless u enjoy being at the gym for over 2 hrs at a time.

I'd suggest compound movements, with an additional day of direct isolation work (cause we know that you're friend will want to train his arms, at least thats all i used to do when i started out).

some variation of press (incline or flat, barbell or dumbell)
Standing or seated overhead press (standing prefferred)
Wide grip pullups - assisted if need be
Barbell row/t-bar row/dumbbell row (deadlift)
Squat/front squat/legpress
Glute ham raise / SLDL
some form of calf exercise

tri's should be fried after the chest/shoulder exercises as well as the biceps after the back exercises.

watch out for over taxing the lower back during this.. ie doing deadlifts before squats really isnt a good idea.. and neither is doing SLDL's after deads for that matter.

Since he's a newbie, rep schemes really wont make much of a difference so keep it simple at maybe 2 x 10 per exercise..

remember it's getting them to love the iron that keeps them coming back year after year, get your friend to love the gym and it will be the best give you can give him / her.