Fairly New To Working Out

deejaybos · Post by **deejaybos** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:23 am

Hi all,

I just joined the forums to post this, but I have been reading through them for a few weeks getting workout / nutritional advice from everyone. I've been working out 5 days a week, taking Sat/Sun off. friend is a professional body builder / trainer and he gave me a workout program, but, I modified it slightly to liking.

Mon: Chest/Calves/Abs
Tue: Back/Cardio
Wed: Legs/Calves/Abs
Thur: Traps/Delts/Rotator Cuff/Cardio
Fri: Arms/Abs
Sat/Sun: OFF

This workout has been working decently, I'm definately seeing positive changes in the 2 or so months that I've been working out.

I'm 5'5" (little guy, yeah) 142lbs (started at 138lbs)

Before I started, I could barely bench 120lbs, I'm now able to get up 155lbs.
I was able to leg press 360lbs on the sled on last work leg day, and I'm able to hammer curl 35lbs with arms that struggled with 20lbs not too long ago.

I've been reading into the Waterbury Method. Starting next week I think I'll be starting this routine, I like that it includes a lot of compound exercises.

one question is: Is the Waterbury Method more focused for strength gains, size increase, or a happy medium? Right now, although gaining strength is clearly ocurring, I'm interested in adding bulk to body right now.

As far as diet goes:

Before going to work I eat a bowl of cereal, a piece of bread with a bunch of peanut butter.
At work I'll eat a yogurt or instant breakfast for mid morning.
Lunch is usually a big turkey and cheese sandwich and an apple
After workout I drink a protein powder shake
Dinner usually consists of something meaty... burger, steak, chicken, ham, etc.

So, Waterbury Method, should I check it out for what I'm trying to achieve? Thanks all for a great community and informative site.

swanso5 · Post by **swanso5** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:54 pm

- bodybuilding splits are worthless for 90% of the population
- the fact you changed your mate's workout even though he's a "pro' means you're not sold on it either
- if you wanna get b etter at something do you do it only once a week?
- rthe fact you're so tiny means that bodybuilding splits eill be even worse for you as you have limited 'growth" capacity 9couldn;t think of any othwr way to out) where you should be trying to be as efficient with your training as you can...enter the waterbury method which i spotted below
- i couldn;t care how much you can leg press and hammer curl...how much can you deadlift?
- it is ideal for both...at the very least it gets you into using heavy, compound exercises and not bother stuffing around with curls, extensions and raises
- to gain bulk, eat
- for food go to diet section and read "read before posting..."

deejaybos · Post by **deejaybos** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 11:11 pm

Hey man, thanks for the reply.

Starting Monday, I'll be doing the Waterbury Method program. As I said, I've been slowly modifying friend's workout plan to the point that I've made it own, making sure that I did at least one compound exercise a day. But, now I'll be switching to this other program which consists of a lot of more full body, compound exercises.

I've been pushing myself harder and harder and realizing on own basically what you're saying very clearly. Isolated exercises, while, they may work, they're not going to work as hard or with as many results as the big ones.

Appreciate the tips. After a few weeks on the Waterbury Method, I'll update how it's been going. Hopefully I'll have some new positive results to report on.

deejaybos · Post by **deejaybos** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 1:48 pm

Question:

On Fridays, the first exercise is chin-ups, described as:

Chin-ups
Sets: 10
Reps: 3
Rest: 70 seconds (between sets)

Note: Utilize a supinated (palms up), shoulder-width hand grip.

Oddly enough, the gym I go to doesn't have a straight bar for doing chin ups. They have a set up for doing wide armed pull ups or chin ups with semi-supinated (right?) with palms facing each other. Will palm facing each other chin ups be an acceptable replacement as far as hand position goes or should I find some way to follow the chin up exactly as described?

swanso5 · Post by **swanso5** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:16 pm

pull ups are fine

deejaybos · Post by **deejaybos** » Mon May 19, 2008 1:17 pm

So, after 4 weeks, I've completed the Waterbury Method program. I followed everything exactly, except for maybe a couple things where I felt I needed to challenge myself a little more by increasing the reps in sets for chinups/dips as each week progressed. Here's some results:

Bench:

(flat)
first week= 120lbs final= 165lbs
(decline)
first week= 130lbs final= 200lbs

Squats:
first week= 135lbs final= 205lbs

db Romanian Deadlifts:

first week= 45lb dbs final= 75lb dbs
(going to have to move to barbel dead lifts, 75lb dbs are the biggest gym has)

Hammer curls:

first week= 20lb dbs final= 40lb dbs

For both Dips/Chin Ups I started at the written amount, by the final week, I was doing 4x10 for the dips (instead of 4x6) and 10x8 for chin ups (instead of 10x3). I don't have a weight belt for increasing resistance for those two exercises, so I just added reps instead.

Overall, definite positive physical strength and appearance results. Friends and family are actually noticing that I'm working out and it helps with the self esteem when a girl grabs arm and says something like "oh, you've gotten bigger."

So anyways... question to the pros is, what's next? Now that I've completed this program, what suggestions do you have for a new/different workout regime? I like the M W F weight training T Th cardio set up, so if any of you have a program that follows that type of layout, I'm more than willing to give it a try. Thanks!

Christopheel · Post by **Christopheel** » Mon May 19, 2008 1:26 pm

Well, you seemed to have really nice results no ? So just stick to something similar ... create your own workout if you want look at this article :

http://steelmuscle.freeforums.org/desig ... -t131.html

More than useful for beginner weightlifter (beginner is 3 years or less of weight training, so I am one ... Well, that's definition of a beginner)

and for diet wise here's another marvelous article :

http://steelmuscle.freeforums.org/the-d ... -t107.html

Both Written by Swanso here ...

I really dislike pre-written program and diet made by "pros" and bodybuilder and dietitians (witch are all fat lol) ... you better read, make you idea, set your goals and then make your own routine, based on solid foundation (like the two article above).

and by the way before you even want to ask :

supplement wise :

Whey for post-workout
Fish oils
Glutamine if you respond well to it's benefits (mostly sleep related)
ZMA and BCAA and if you're 180lbs+, creatine. if you have the money and a perfect diet for sure.

Now, go lift some heavy loads.

deejaybos · Post by **deejaybos** » Mon May 19, 2008 1:40 pm

Well, I haven't stood on a scale since about 2 weeks into the program... lol, but when I did, I weighed 152lbs. As far as sups go, I drink a protein shake after workout, that's it. I eat healthy, I try to get as much protein in system on work out days as I can. Peanutbutter, turkey, burgers, eggs, fish, yogurts, etc. As well as eating fruits and veggies of course. People ask how I eat so much and still look in shape, and I try to explain that I eat a lot more than I used to, but I also eat a lot healthier. Eating a lot of healthy food is better than eating a little unhealthy food, no?

Thanks for the link, I'll read into this. I like to follow programs because, I'm not as smart when it comes to which muscles to work out on which days and which exercises to do for said muscles.

swanso5 · Post by **swanso5** » Mon May 19, 2008 7:52 pm

CW has TT Training (can;t remebwer the name of it but put it in google and it will come up...you're gym needs heavier wts...does it have barbells with big 25pd plates...move to them if they do

deejaybos · Post by **deejaybos** » Mon May 19, 2008 8:25 pm

I was doing 215lb deadlifts today, and the manager came over and "spoke" to me about how I was making too much noise dropping weights. She suggested that I "do a different exercise." I said I needed to finish and that I'd try not to make as much noise. She said "that exercise is more for body builders, and we don't really condone those type of people." I explained that it was part of work out and that I wasn't NOT going to do it. I said I'd try best not to make noise when putting the weights down with a slight hint of sarcasm in tone. Maybe it's time for me to find a new gym. I kind of hurt myself when 'slowly' lowering the barbel so as not to make too much "noise".

Last time I checked, anyone that's lifting weights is "body building" or "body sculpting". Idiot.

CW has TT Training (can;t remebwer the name of it but put it in google and it will come up...you're gym needs heavier wts...does it have barbells with big 25pd plates...move to them if they do

I did find the article about TBT on T-nation. It basically talks about how the workout should be 6 exercises. 4 TB and 2 isos. Which more or less is what the Waterbury Method was. Although the WM used super-sets. So, I'll be putting a M/W/F TBT workout together based on his suggestions and then hopefully you all will critique it and I'll spruce it up a bit if it needs changes.

Thanks for all the input.

swanso5 · Post by **swanso5** » Tue May 20, 2008 5:43 pm

that is fucked...what exercise were you doing?

most of cw's programs are the same, ecspecially the earlier one's but they do have sublte differences and that's all you need in a new program

Boss Man · Post by **Boss Man** » Tue May 20, 2008 5:59 pm

Christopheel wrote:
supplement wise :

Whey for post-workout
Fish oils
Glutamine if you respond well to it's benefits (mostly sleep related)
ZMA and BCAA and if you're 180lbs+, creatine. if you have the money and a perfect diet for sure.

Glutamine also has very good immune system benefits too, but yes sleep ones too. Both I can attest too since I first used it.

As for BCAA, no real point with Whey in the regime I don't think, might as well do one or the other. Possibly could do BCAA as an anti-catabolic regime for night time, Whey PWO, but I don't consider Whey and BCAA as a neccessity in the same supplement regime, you might as well do one or the other frankly.

deejaybos · Post by **deejaybos** » Fri May 23, 2008 10:00 am

So here's what I came up with for a three day, MWF routine based on the TBT article by Chad Waterbury:

Monday:

Chest - flat bench (compound)
Biceps - db hammer curls (iso)
Back - pull ups (compound)
Chest - dips (wide grip) (compound)
Calves - calf raises (iso)
Quads - squats (compound)

Wednesday:

Lower Back - dead lifts (compound)
Deltoids - standing military press (compound)
Hamstrings - leg curls (iso)
Deltoids - dumbell raises (iso)
Chest - inclined db bench (compound)
Chest - Chin ups (compound)

Friday:

Chest - decline bench (compound)
Biceps - barbell curls (iso)
Deltoids - seated military press (compound)
Back - upright rows (compound)
Triceps - skull crushers (iso)
Arms/Core - Leg raises (compound)

I tried to spread out the exercises so I wasn't concentrating on one muscle group for an entire session and so that they'd have decent rest time between exercises and work out days. It was kinda tough to spread out the compounds that were suggested in the article. If anyone can help critique or adjust workout plan, it'd be greatly appreciated. Here's the article I got the info from, if you have a better layout based on the options and criteria, please feel free to say so.

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=508031

swanso5 · Post by **swanso5** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:06 pm

it would be better with 5 compounds and no iso's in this eet up:

leg - deadlift or squat variation
back hor pull - row variation
chest - bench variation
back vert pull - chin variation
sedcondary upper/mid back pull - face pull/scarecrow variation

deejaybos · Post by **deejaybos** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:25 pm

So you're saying M/W/F I should just do the 5 compounds and call it a day?

And what does "EET" stand for?