2

I am a beginner in working out and building muscles. I am skinny and have no muscles at all, but I want to start working out, so I could get muscles and get strong. Are there any good workout programs with videos for beginners? Programs for building muscles and strength? I do push ups and sit ups, and pull ups, but I want more intense stuff. Like weightlifting.

Is there any weightlifting programs that involves a full body workout (chest, shoulders, back, biceps, triceps, legs,abs,..)?

Baarn
  • 4,705
  • 8
  • 35
  • 62
Andy
  • 143
  • 5

2 Answers2

2

All programs in www.bodybuilding.com have two things in common:

  1. A lot of pressure on the idea that you need supplements,

  2. An enormous volume per workout, so that it is ensured that you will be exhausted and think that it is because you need the supplements. This is because bodybuilding.com is merely a retailer of supplements, as you can simply check in its wikipedia entry.

That workout recommended to you in the other answer is a good example, have a look at one of the days in that workout ("Big Man on Campus" - Hey, it should be called "Exhausted Man on Campus") here. It is completely crazy, and it belongs to a 4-days split workout with two additional cardio days. It is particularly crazy because this particular program stresses the need of supplements a little less than the others in www.bodybuilding.com (it is supposed to be tailored for students), so they have to raise the volume of work per day to an enormous quantity, to be sure that you will be totally exhausted and will fall in the trap of buying more supplements.

The same goes for all bodybuilding magazines, all sponsored or directly owned by the supplements industry.

I felt myself in this kind of trap when I was in my 20s, during nearly two intense years with little or no results and eventually an injury that took me out of bodybuilding.

There are alternatives. For instance, many people are using a different approach, based on simpler, yet very effective barbell programs used by olympic powerlifters, proven by many decades of experience. Google for "Mark Rippetoe" and his book "Starting Strength", look at the website as well . This is the kind of program that Arnold Schwarzenegger used in his earliest youth before going to America.

There are other sources of information, but nothing seems visually so fancy like www.bodybuilding.com because there is a multimillionaire industry behind. Nobody can compete with their marketing resources, but you may have a look at some individuals websites like the Scooby's Workshop or you may uncheck the "accepted" mark on the other answer and wait, because there are some notable individuals in this site that may give you much better recommendations for a beginner workout than the crap in www.bodybuilding.com

I don't think the male model for the Laocoön and His Sons sculpture in year 25 BC used whey powder or creatine supplements...

Mephisto
  • 2,946
  • 3
  • 22
  • 34
  • 1
    While I agree with what you say, this doesn't answer the question. – Baarn Sep 14 '13 at 13:04
  • @Informaficker, you are right, but although I have by now completely figured out what is a good approach to what the OP is asking, I don't dare giving this information because I am no expert at all and I cannot take the responsibility of offering advise on the matter. Let's wait. People like Loritsch or Liepmann are much more appropriate for that than me. With this answer I only wanted to point out the dangers of following that answer about a crazy high-volume routine in www.bodybuilding.com – Mephisto Sep 14 '13 at 14:07
-2

When I started weightlifting I was in a similar situation. It is important to note that weightlifting itself takes time and consistency. You won't see results right away. For a beginner's guide I recommend Steve Cook's Big man on Campus 12-week college trainer (link provided below). Even if you aren't a college athlete it is a program that I have tried myself and feel it is a good place to begin. Built for people not accustom to weightlifting, this guide goes into everything that will help excel your workouts so that you can maximize the exercises(including nutrition, supplements, detailed workout schedules, etc.). There are many guides out there depending on your interests. It all comes down to what you want to accomplish, however, I feel this is a good place to start.

Link: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/steve-cook-big-man-on-campus-12-week-college-trainer.html

Daniel
  • 1
  • Thank you so much. This is an awesome program and I can't wait to start it, but do I have to take all the supplements? Isn't that like using steroids? Also, I don't think it's recommended for beginners to take supplemnts. What do you think? And thank you very much for the program. You're awesome! – Andy Sep 14 '13 at 06:02
  • 5
    @Andy All programs in that site have two things in common: (1) A lot of pressure on you buying supplements (2) An enormous volume per workout (look at how many exercises and sets per day you have there, it's crazy), so that it is ensured that you will be exhausted and think that it is because you need the supplements. This is because bodybuilding.com is merely a retailer of supplements, as you can simply check in its wikipedia entry, and the same goes for all bodybuilding magazines, all sponsored or directly owned by the supplements industry. – Mephisto Sep 14 '13 at 10:05
  • @Mephisto- Thank you. That explains it.I was wondering why they offered that program for free, and now I know why. It turns out it's all about money!And yeah you're definitely right bodybuilding.com is merely a retailer of supplements.Thank you for the heads up. This is like a wake up call.Appreciate your comment. – Andy Sep 15 '13 at 00:56