this post was submitted on 09 Nov 2023
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If you have a gym membership, do stronglifts 5x5 to start. It's a scheduled workout plan with basic compound exercises, meaning, they don't focus a single muscle, but a movement instead. Ease into it, all of them need a degree of technique so you don't injure yourself in the process. 3 days a week to start is good, don't push yourself this early on. Your body needs to be made aware that working out is something that will happen constantly, and that takes time. It will suck at first, everything will hurt, even muscles you didn't even know were there. You will also be more hungry. Eventually, DOMS (muscle pain after working out) will become tamer, only then should you think about increasing your workout sessions.
If health is your primary motivating factor, be mindful of what you eat and how much you sleep. We need every kind of nutrient, but if at the end of the day you have a calorie excess, and you're not working out like a madman, you will gain weight. Mind you, most of the calories we burn aren't burnt on a treadmill, we just burn calories by being alive. So, better to have a healthy diet with some cheat days, than stress about what to eat and what not to eat.
Unless you take drugs, doing two or three full body workouts a week separated by 72 (for 2) or 48 (for 3) hours is far more optimal for protein synthesis operation. PPL and upper lower bro splits only work when you literally don't have to worry about recovery (perfect T and other hormones).
But the rest of this is great advice and would recommend Starting Strength before 5x5.
Oh, I wasn't aware. I've been doing 3 days a week because of time constraints. So PPL isn't good unless you're on supplements? What other regiment would you recommend?
I'm talking about endogenous and exogenous hormones. Peptides, steroids, sarms and the like. But with training, recovery is always the most important factor for muscle growth with synthesis, so unless you have perfect conditions all the time (impossible for a natural) it's better to optimize around recovery than being in the gym. Starting Strength is great for beginners like OP.
I've been doing a volume Bench Squat 5x5 Dead 1x5/intensity (start by doing heavy weight for sets of 5, when that's too heavy do sets of 3, then down to 5 sets of 1, 3 sets of 1, a single max, then reset) 2 day split with one light day with band work to improve ligaments and neck work to avoid another herniated disc. I honestly consider this the best for naturals in both recovery and time, but with more exercises added in. I'm restricting to the main lifts for powerlifting competition, but adding accessories to focus more on triceps, or rack pulls, etc would be good. Since starting this a few months ago my squat has gone from a 1x5 315 squat to a 415 max and 325 5x5 as a 6'2 natural powerlifter (I've only been lifting seriously for 3 years and powerlifting for a year and a half, my trainer has been training for 15 years and hit a 610 deadlift naturally but now in his 30s with low 300 free test he takes TRT)
5x5s are great, Practical Programming is a good book to follow Starting Strength, I recommend reading Alex Leonidas' Naturally Enhanced for a more hypertrophy approach. The Texas Program is good. Most of these are designed around the same concept of a 2 day full body one volume heavy the other intensity.
Hm, interesting. I'll do some of that recommended reading, Practical Programming specifically. Honestly, I don't do lifting for athleticism anymore. Lift heavy rock make sad voices go away, mostly. But if I can work smarter, I'll do that.