Workout tips for NEW trainers

NOTE, they are numbered. Meaning you can read
the bold, if you feel it is something you DO NOT need to know. Just
skip it. Alot of it is common sence, and others are after you have
worked out awhile. IF you try say negatives and have only been working
out 3 days. You will be SORE as hell, and it can slow results. Thats an
example.

FORGOT! I will also be highlighting the
ones that pertain to BMX in a BIG way. I just don't have ALL of the
list posted/finished just yet.

1. Reps And Sets
The most bascial term in bodybuilding is the rep. Rep is short for
repetition and simply means peforming one complete movement of a given
exercise. For esample if you were doing a flat barbell bench press it
would mean lifting the bar off the rack, slowly lowering it to
mid-chest and them pushing it back up to arms' lenth. Performing a
group of continuous reps is called a set. Most bodybuilders perform 8
to 12 reps per set.


2. HOW MANY REPS?
There are three broad categories of rep ranges - one for biudling
maximum muscle size, one for maximum strength, and one for general
conditioning. There is no one rep range that will maximize all three
categories at once. You must decide what your primary goal is.
Generally speaking, for maimum strength 3 to 6 reps seems to work best.
Bodybuilders trying to gain muscle mass find sets in the 8 to 12 range
most effective. For general conditioning, 12 to 20 reps is normal.



3. REP RANGES
Even though most people may respond best to a given rep range, everyone
is different. Over time, experiment with different rep ranges to see
what works best for you. Don't stick with a given rep range if it
doesn't give you the results you desire.


4. BEGINNER REPS
When starting an exercise program, perform higher reps. The higher reps
will force you to use lighter weight. This means you can concentrate on
mastering your technique. You will achieve better results and there is
less chance of injury.


5. NEVER TOO YOUNG!
For those younger readers (or those who have young teens), be assured
that you are never too young to benefit from a regular weight-training
program. Regular exercise improves physcial fitness and strength,
promotes a healthy lifestyle, and boosts self-esteem. the old myth of
weight traning stunting growth is just that- a myth! There is no
evidence to support this old belief.

6. NEVER TOO OLD!
The fastest growing demographic segment of society is the baby boomer
generation (anyone born between the years of 1946 and 1964). Unlike
their counterparts from 30 or 40 years ago, most baby boomers are not
content to grow old. they want to stop the clock. Weight training is
one of the best forms of exerciseto combat the decline in physcial
health brought about by age. Unlike cardio, which can be tailored to
the individual's fitness level. In addition, only weight training can
slow down the problems associated with bone loss due to osteoporosis.
So, you baby-boomer readers, Get Up Off The Couch And Hit The Gym!

7. DON'T WORRY ABOUT GENETICS
The bad news is that your genetic makeup is the promary limiting factor
in your training. That's the bad news. The good news is that no one has
ever utilized his or her full genetic potential. Although unfavorable
genetics have made thousands of bodybuilders' ultimate achievements
difficult, no individual has ever been competely hindered by them. So
get to it!

8. WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS
Just as you woudln't haphazardly drive around hoping by accident to
reach your destination, so too should you have a "road map" to follow
when bodybuilding. Grab a pieve of paper and write down exactly what
you want to change about your body. Is it an extra inch or two on your
arms? How about a 225-pound bench press? Or perhaps you want to see
your abs again! Next, give yourself a timeline to follow and try to
stick to it. This will keep you honest and less likely to skip workouts.

9. STRICT VERSUS LOOSE REPS
Bodybuilders perform two types of reps - strict and loose. As the names
imply, strict reps are those that are performed in almost flawless
fashion. There is no cheating or jerking the weight up. Loose reps are
those for which some body momentum is used to assist the target muscles
in lifting the weight. there is an argument to be made that reps should
always be performed in strict style. this is a especially true at the
beginner level, but advanced bodybuilders frequently use a loose
training style.

10. CONCENTRATION IS THE KEY
Always concentrate and focus on the muscles you are trying to stimulate
when exercising. Try to make a lighter weight feel like a heavier
weight. In his prime Arnold Schwarzenegger used 60 to 70 pounds to work
his biceps while others were flinging up 80 or 100 pounders. Arnold
made those 60's feel like 80's and built two of the greatest biceps in
bodybuilding history.

11. THROW THEM OUT
Unless you are hundreds of pounds over weight, throw your scales out
the window. Body weight is not always a good measurement of fitness and
health. You could gain 10 pounds of muscle and lose 10 pounds of fat.
your weight will not have changed, yet you've improved yourself
considerably by losing fat and adding muscle.

12. PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
Don't expect results in a few weeks. It takes an average of two to four
months before you'll see significant changes in strength and muscle
size. Even then you might not see them, but they are occuring just the
same. Some things are worth waiting for. Stay dedicated and be
persistant.

13. THE UPS AND DOWNS
There wil be days when there won't be enough weight in the gym for you.
Conversely there will be days when the warm-up will feel heavy. There
is no way you will be able to max out on every workout. Let the body be
your guide. On the days when it says: "go at 75 percent," listen.

14. 10 FOR 1
On average you'll need to gain 10 pounds of bodybweight for every inch
of arm size. For most people who train consistently this means that in
a fiver-year period they'll increase their bodyweight by 50 pounds and
add five inches to their arms.

15. FORCED REPS
After you have a few months of training under your belt you can try a
few advanced training techniques. One of the easiest to learn is forced
reps. A foreced rep is a rep performed after you can no longer lift the
weight on your own. Let's say yo complete 10 reps on the bench press
and cannot do number 11. Have a partner placehis hands under the bar
and provide just enough lift to help you complete a couple of
additional, or "forced" reps. In gym jargon your partner is giving you
"a spot."

16. HOW MANY SETS
As with the number of reps in a set, there is no magic number of sets
to perform in a workout. In time most bodybuilders discover what works
best for them. Perform too many and you run the risk of overtraining
and burnout. Perform too few and you won't adequately stimulate the
muscles. Our advice is to start off by performing 6 to 9 sets total for
bigger muscles like chest, back and legs, and 4 to 6 sets for smaller
muscles like biceps and triceps.

17. A GUIDE FOR TOO MANY SETS
One of the best guides for determining when to stop training a
particular muscle is to go by "the pump." As soon as a muscle is
subjected to exerciseit begins to fill up with blood, giving it a
tighter and fuller feeling. Bodybuilders have discovered a point
whendoing extra sets not only doesn't increase the pump, the pump can
actually drain away. It is at this point that yuou should stop trainig
the muscle and move on to the next body part.

18. THE FINAL SET
As you exercise a muscle, waste products such as lactic acid begin to
build up. It is these metabolic by-products of exercise that play a
major role in fatguing the muscle. One way to help flush these
"exercise limiters" out is by performing a lighter/higher-rep set at
the end. Highreps flush the area with blood, speeding up waste removal.

19. DON'T BURN THEM OUT OR FADE THEM AWAY
Even though they are the "showy" muscles of the body, the biceps are
one of the easiest muscles to overtrain. your biceps receivea good
workout just by being used in your back workouts. Don't make the
mistake of training them three or four times a week for 15 to 20 sets.
Try 6 to 8 sets in total, once or twice a week.


20. DEVELOP A BALANCED WORKOUT
Don't overemphasize one part of the body, like the chest or biceps. Get
an expert to help you design a smart, comprehensive program that works
all muscle groups. Do at least one exercise for each of the major
muscle groups or you can end up with a muscluar imbalance. Not only
does that look funny, it causes a greater risk of injury.

21. THE STRONGEST MAY SURVIVE BUT THE WEAKEST NEED EXTRA WORK!
Closely related to the previous tip is the fact that many bodybuilders
fall victom to the trap of working their largest and strongest muscles
more than their weakest. The temptation is strong to give into the
quick gratification of working the muscles that respond the quickest.
The last thing you want is your gym buddies saying things behind your
back like "he's all arms", or "pity he has no legs." Keep a close eye
on each muscle's progress and adjust your training accordingly.

22. BRING A FRIEND
Unless you are passionate about training, you'll have days when going
to the gym is the last thing on your mind. Studies have shown that over
60 precent of people new to weightlifting will stick with it for at
least six months if they have a friend or spouse training with them. So
as soon as you decide to take up exercising, try to recruit a training
partner.

23. DON"T GO CATABOLIC
One of the biggest deteriments to gaining aize and strength is
performing too many sets for a muscle group. Try to stick with 6 to 8
sets for smaller muscles and 10 to 12 for bigger muscle groups.

24. TRAINING TO FAILURE
Training to failure means terminating a set when ou can no longer lift
the weight. If you were doing 10 reps in a set, you would pick a weight
that does not allow you 11 reps. We don't recommend training to failure
at the beginner level. Doing so is very taxing on your recovery system.
Instead terminate the set one or two reps from failure (i.e. use a
weight that you would fail at 12 reps but only perform 10)

25. ONE-REP MAXIMUMS
If you decide to see how strong you are on a few of the exercises
(squats and bench presses usually being the guilty parties), limit the
testing to once a month. One-rep maximums place a lot of stress on the
soft connective tissues such as ligaments and cartilage. They also tend
to stress out the muscles and tendons. Make sure you have a trusted
spotter behind you in case you miss the lift attempt.


26. CLASSICAL VS HEAVY DUTY
The classical system of sets consists of starting out doing 1 to 3 sets
per bodypart and adding a couple of sets and exercises every month or
two. It's not uncommon after a couple of years for advanced
bodybuilders to be performing 15 to 20 sets per bodypart. The
heavy-duty sytle of training was popularized by Dr Arthur Jones and the
late Mike Mentzer. Both argued that 1 to 3 all-out sets to failure was
more productive and less draining on the recovery system than 15 to 20
sets performed in moderate style. Experiment with both styles and see
what works best for you. Virtually all the top bodybuilding champions
use the classical system of training.

27. KEEP IT SIMPLE FOR ECTOMORPHS
If you have an extomorph-type body (tall, lean, little muscle mass),
keep your training simple and infrquent. Perform basic exercises for
low sets and reps. Train only two or three times per week. Keep your
protein intake high (at least one gram per pound of bodyweight), and
limit your cardio to two to three 20 minute sessions per week.

28. GO AT YOUR OWN PACE
Keeping up with the Joneses may be fine in the suburbs, but it's not a
good idea in the gym. Don 't let someone else's workout influence your
training. It's fine to feed off others' intensity, but don't try to
lift too-heavy weights just to keep up. Train at your own pace and
strength level. You'll make better progress and have less chance of
suffering a severe injury.

29. TIME BETWEEN SETS
You want to wait long enough between sets to recover your breath but
not long enough to cool down before the next set. For most muscles this
works out to about a minute. For a larger muscle like legs you may have
to wait 90 seconds to two minutes. You may get by on 30 seconds' rest
for a small muscle like biceps.

30. STRAIGHT SETS
When you begin weight training, perform all you sets as straight sets.
this means peforming a given exercise with a chosen weight for a given
number of reps. the straight-sets style of training is the most common
training method used by bodybuilders.

31. PYRAMIDING - THE EGYPTIANS HAD IT RIGHT
After a few montyhs of training with straight sets, try pyramiding your
reps and weight. Pyramiding involves starting with a light weight for
higher reps and then increasing the weight and decreasing the reps with
each successive set. the top of the pyramid would be the point at which
you are using your maximum weight. You then start decreasing the weight
and increasing the reps. Generally speaking the lighter sets are
performed for 15 to 20 reps and the heavier sets for 6 to 8 reps.


32. HALF-PYRAMIDS
Because a muscle tires with each successive set, many bodybuilders feel
they should start their training with their heaviest weight. If they
perform too many high-rep, light-weight sets they'll never be able to
reach their heaviest weight. To get around this they do one or two very
light sets and then put their heaviest weight on the bar or machine.
The weight is then decreased and reps are increased with each
successive set. In effect they are working down the backside of the
pyramid.

33. PERFORM FULL RANGE OF MOTION
With the exception of a few advanced training techniques discussed
later, perform all your exercises through a full range of motion. This
means fully stretching and contracting the muscle and moving the limb
or limbs through their entire possible distance. Half movements will
only build strength in the part of the muscle being worked when the
movement is taking place.

34. HOW MUCH WEIGHT?
As much as we would like to, there is no way to know specifically how
much weight to use on each exercise. Everyone is different. First
decide how many reps you want to complete in a given set. Then pick a
weight that limits you to that number. There will be days when you'll
have to use less weight to achieve the same number of reps. On other
days you'll need more weight.

35. KEEP IT BIG
During your first few months of training, focus on exercise for the
large muscle groups of the body (i.e. quads, back, shoulders, biceps,
triceps). Don't worry about the smaller muscle like the serratus,
teres, and rhomboids. These muscles will get a good workout just by
trainng the bigger muscles.


36. PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
Although thee will be the odd day when you will mneed ot use les
weight, the primary method for increasing muscle size is progressive
overload. That is, as soon as a muscle adapts to a given weight, you
must increase the weight to keep the muscle growing. With few
exceptions, the biggest bodybuilders are also the strongest.

37. GROUND YOURSELF
As soon as you begin working out, take a lesson form your parents and
"ground" yourself. Place both feet securely on the ground and keep them
there. At the end of your set your feet should not have moved so much
as an inch. If they have it probably means you've used your legs to
cheat!

38. CONFLICTING GOALS
One of the biggests mistakes you can make when you start training is
trying to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. Unless you are
that one-in-a-million, genetically gifted freaks, you won't be able to
do both simultaneously. If you are 20 pounds or more overweight, your
first priority is losing the body fat. If you are very lean but lacking
in muscle size, focus on gaining some good muscular bodyweight. Don't
attempt to stay lean wile trying to get big. You can't have it both
ways.

39. EXERCISE SPEED
Exercise speed is another name for tempo. Our advice is to use a 2-2
exercise tempo when starting out. this means take two seconds to raise
the wight and two seconds to lower it again. With time you can
experiment with ultra-fast reps (explosive training) and ultra-slow
reps (10 seconds or more).

40. BREATHING
When exercising intensely, the body needs enormus amounts of oxygen. If
you hold your breath while training you run the risk of passing out.
Try breathing on each rep of the exercise. Most bodybuilders inhale on
the lowering part of th rep and exhale on the upward part. In effect
you are "blowing" the weight up.