Question - Goal - Below

[sunstokedluthor]

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Newbie from Toronto, Canada here (33 yrs), male.
I'm 5'6" and 172 lbs. and have 14.5% BF.
I know that everyone's body varies, etc. along with our goals - but can any similar individuals or people with opinions (LOL) - provide a recommendation for the state I should be moving forward too??
For now I'm thinking in general (not for competitive purposes, etc.) - any thoughts?

Great site btw - will be reading alot tonight from it, viewing your discussions, etc.

Thanks again!

 

[SouthernLord]

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Newbie from Toronto, Canada here (33 yrs), male.
I'm 5'6" and 172 lbs. and have 14.5% BF.
I know that everyone's body varies, etc. along with our goals - but can any similar individuals or people with opinions (LOL) - provide a recommendation for the state I should be moving forward too??
For now I'm thinking in general (not for competitive purposes, etc.) - any thoughts?

Great site btw - will be reading alot tonight from it, viewing your discussions, etc.

Thanks again!

Welcome to Elite!

Well, this depends greatly on what you want. Tell us what you would like and maybe someone can point you in the right direction.

 

[iggy]

welcome bro! you trying to cut or bulk? the 5x5 works awesome if you want to try that out.

 

[bblazer]

Do you want to be more into body building, power lifting, strongman, or general fitness, or somethings else?

B-

 

[fortunatesun]

Congratulations on your decision. It's one you won't regret.

If your a total beginner, I favor doing a full body workout. Concentrate on learning the lifts with good form and conditioning yourself for strength training in general rather than how much you lift. This is what will help you get to the next level.

A general rule of thumb would be to keep your reps moderate (8-12) and rest between sets minimal (60-90 seconds). You'll be able to gain experience and increase your work capacity.
Lower rep sets (<6) will primarily increase your strength but you haven't developed the support network (efficiency of the central nervous system, development of stabilizing muscle and connective tissue, etc.) that will allow you to do this effectively and injury free.
Higher rep sets (>15) are for rehabilitation and specialized techniques.

Time between sets is important also. 60 seconds rest will emphasize conditioning, 90 seconds muscle growth, 2 minutes strength. At this point, a little patience can go a long way. Don't be afraid to drop the weight you use in order to keep your intensity up (work deliberately yet swiftly) with good form.

Do this 3x a week or possibly 4x if you already have good athletic conditioning. Also do cardio 3x a week starting at 20 min. with a goal of 30 min. to build up your cardiovascular system.

After 8 weeks of this you should be at a point where you've laid a foundation for whatever goal you want to work for.

There's several good ways to construct an actual program. The 5x5 site mentioned has a wealth of information and there's other good ideas in the Training Info sticky. You need to understand what specific exercises are for and why you should or shouldn't be doing them. At this point you'll make best progress keeping it simple. Utilize all muscle groups but don't try to jam everything into one session. If you remember to make compound lifts using free weights the core of your routine you won't go wrong.