Newbie help...

[Thundergut]

Hey folks,

I'm basically your run of the mill weight-lifting newbie. I've lifted weights before, but just the main bodyparts (main from a newbie perspective)...chest (flat bench), legs (squat, extension), biceps (curls), triceps (pushdowns). I've read magazine after magazine, many articles, and while many of them provide a good set of "tried-and-true" workouts for professionals, not many of them are catered to the lifting "newb."

What the hell is a modified cuban press ... something you get at Starbucks?

Anyways, enough with the jokes...my inquiry is a two-parter.

Part 1
Is there any such thing as an "ideal" training split?
I usually hit the gym 5-7 times a week. I like to do some form of weight-work every visit, but I know thats probably not optimal. What I'm curious about, is whether or not there is an "ideal" combination or order of working on bodyparts. Such as:

Working biceps and triceps on the same day (push/pull)...would that be effective?

Would it be wise to follow up the next day with a back/chest? back/shoulder? something else that would benefit from bi's and tri's being tired? should I go legs to give my upper body a rest?


Part 2
What basic exercises would you recommend for each body part?
I'd like to work up to doing 3 movements per muscle group, probably about 3 sets per. My main issue is finding 3 movements that are straightforward and fairly simple to do. Let me know what you think...

Biceps
Dumbbell Curl
Barbell Curl
Preacher Curl

Triceps
Rope Pushdown
Overhead Extension
Dips

Chest
Flat Bench
Incline Bench
Decline Bench

Back
Cable Seated Rows
Bent Over Rows
?

Shoulder
Front Pulldown
Rear Pulldown
Dumbbell Shrug

Legs
Squats
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls
Leg Press / Hack Squat (?)

Calves
Seated Calf Raises
Standing Calf Raises

Abs
Situps
Crunches
Oblique Crunches
Leg Raises

Forearms
Reverse Curl
Barbell Curl
Dumbbell Reverse Curl
Dumbbell Curl


If you have any suggestions that aren't on this list, or any advice on what is good and safe, and if any of these are not...let me know.

I was looking at ( http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html ) as I was posting this, but I want to get some feedback from any "professionals" out there. God only knows when that site was last updated, but in here I seem to be able to get some good cutting-edge info from real live people...and I'll rank that advice above something I read on a static page anyday.

 

[silver_shadow]

i see you've been on EF for a pretty long time already. but better late than never... there's a training vault sticky at the top of the first page of this forum. there's a link to the 5x5... which is a good starting point... the one for intermediate lifters should suit you fine. to answer your questions: first i don't believe in a split being anywhere near ideal. with that out of the way, there is no perfect routine... there are lots of good ones and you'll have to educate yourself so that you know which one is good for you at a particular time and also, how you could modify it suit your needs.

 

[Thundergut]

Good point, didn't see that Training Vault post.

I joined back in '04 for the POW forum and just kinda stumbled into the Bodybuilding portion after a few days. Never been too serious about my body, but now that I've let myself go to hell, I figure it's time to get this train back on track.

Sometimes you have to hit 1 extreme to be able to see the other...

 

[blut wump]

Good point, didn't see that Training Vault post.

I joined back in '04 for the POW forum and just kinda stumbled into the Bodybuilding portion after a few days. Never been too serious about my body, but now that I've let myself go to hell, I figure it's time to get this train back on track.

Sometimes you have to hit 1 extreme to be able to see the other...

Good luck, man. I found myself fat, unfit and over 40 a small number of years ago. I'm pretty much the same but a lot stronger now.

Have fun and don't hold back if you have any questions. The 5x5 is very popular here which is another way of saying that there are lots of people with experience in it who'll be willing to help.