Training and Nutrition Advice for the Beginner

by: John Hansen - July 17th, 2009

Q. – “I was reading an article about you on bodybuilding.com and I was wondering if you would be able to give me a few tips on how to start bodybuilding. I was wondering what training I should do with free weights and what nutrition I should follow to lose fat but bulk up on muscle. If you had any tips or anything like that would help me as it will be hard to follow the diet as I am still at high school and help me progressing in the sport.”

A. - I’m glad you are asking advice on how to start a bodybuilding routine. Too many beginners just try to wing it when they first start a training routine and they end up following a program in which they are usually performing the wrong exercises, improper form and too many sets.
If you are just beginning a workout program, you want to remember to start slow. At this stage of the game, you can actually train the whole body in one workout. There is no need to split the body up and train different bodyparts each day when you are just beginning. You need to lay the foundation first.
Choose one basic exercise for each major muscle group in the body and perform this routine 2-3 days a week. The basic exercises use several muscle groups in the execution of the movement so you will begin by building more muscle mass and strength right off the bat.
I think it’s also important to use free weights involving barbells and dumbbells when you begin a workout routine. Machines and cable exercises will not force you to balance and coordinate the resistance like barbells and dumbbells will. Free weights will recruit more nerves and muscle fibers that will help you to build more strength.
Divide the body into 10 different muscle groups that includes the chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, abdominals (upper and lower), quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and forearms. Using one basic exercise for each of these muscle groups, do 2-3 sets of each exercise. This would comprise your beginning workout routine. Here is a good example of a beginning training routine using the basic exercises:

Incline Sit-ups (upper abs) 2 sets 30 reps
Hanging Knee Raises (lower abs) 2 sets 20 reps
Barbell Squats (quadriceps) 3 sets 10 reps
Stiff-leg Deadlifts (hamstrings) 3 sets 10 reps
Standing Calf Raises (calves) 3 sets 15 reps
Barbell Bench Press (chest) 3 sets 10 reps
Barbell Rows (back) 3 sets 10 reps
Barbell Clean and Press (shoulders) 3 sets 10 reps
Parallel Bar Dips (triceps) 3 sets 10 reps
Barbell Curls (biceps) 3 sets 10 reps
Barbell Wrist Curls (forearms) 3 sets 12 reps

Your goal during this beginning stage of training is to gradually build up the strength and size of each muscle group. You should aim for three sets of ten reps with each exercise (except for abs, calves and forearms) for each workout. When you can perform 12 reps or more for each set, you should increase the resistance to bring the repetitions back down to 10. At the beginning stages, it is not unusual to increase the weights you are using each week.
It’s important to keep the sets low so you do not overtrain the muscles by overloading them with more than they can handle at this stage of the game. By using only one exercise for each bodypart and only performing three sets of each exercise, you are gradually building up the strength and muscle size of each bodypart. Some would consider this undertraining but by slowly increasing the resistance with low volume, you are providing plenty of recuperation time, which will help you to consistently add more size and strength.
Also, by using the basic exercises in your training routine, you are recruiting several muscle groups during each exercise and forcing them to work in conjunction with one another. This routine will help you to not only get bigger but to lay the foundation for your physique which is so important for your future development.
You could begin by doing this routine three days per week on non-consecutive days (Mon, Wed, Fri). As you begin to add strength and use heavier weights, you could increase the rest days between workouts so you are following this full-body routine twice a week (Monday and Thursdays for example).
I would suggest using this basic training routine for at least 3-6 months before moving into the intermediate stage of training. By this time, you should have noticeably increased both your strength and your muscle mass throughout the whole body. When you begin training each muscle group twice a week with more exercises, your muscles will be ready for the additional volume because of the time and effort you devoted to the beginning routine.
As for your nutrition program, you mentioned that you want to build muscle while losing fat. Unless you have a lot of bodyfat to lose, I would focus more on eating a well-balanced diet that will provide sufficient amounts of calories, protein, carbohydrates and fats to help you build muscle mass and increase your metabolism.
You can begin by eating three meals per day along with three protein drinks in between meals. Even if you are in high school all day long, you will still be able to eat every three hours by adding the protein drinks to your daily diet. Here is an example of how you could structure your eating plan:
7am – Breakfast
10am – Protein Drink
1pm – Lunch
4pm – Protein Drink
5pm - Workout
6pm – Post Workout Recover Drink
7pm – Dinner
10pm – Protein Drink

By eating every three hours, you will be feeding your muscle cells the amino acids (protein), glycogen (carbohydrates) and calories they need to recover from your heavy training sessions and grow. You will also be changing your metabolism because you will be adding more muscle tissue, which burns more calories even when you are resting. This upward shift in your metabolic rate will require that you eat more calories to feed your increasing muscle mass.
Choose foods that are high in protein and complex carbohydrates as these are the macronutrients that will help you to build muscle mass. Some good choices would be whole eggs and egg whites along with oatmeal for breakfast, tuna fish or chicken breast on whole wheat bread along with potatoes or pasta for lunch and steak, turkey or salmon with potatoes or rice with dinner.
In addition to your whole food meals, you also want to include protein drinks as a way to feed your muscle cells more protein and provide your body with the calories it needs to grow. The best protein powder to consume has a combination of whey, casein and egg proteins because this type of protein is absorbed by the body much slower than straight whey protein. This helps to keep the blood sugar level more stable in between meals. You can even add some fruit such as a banana or strawberries along with a tablespoon of flaxseed oil to add some more quality calories.
Keep your training and your nutrition basic and simple in the beginning and you should consistently make gains in both muscle mass and strength. Good luck!

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