Weightlifting for Beginners
When people embark on a weight-training regimen, they seem to have no idea where to begin. Most people choose one of two paths:
- Endless repetitions of isolation exercises such as curls, triceps extensions, and dumbbell kickbacks (most women try this)
- Endless repetitions of bench press and maybe some curls with one day a week spent doing quarter squats with dangerous amounts of weight (most guys try this)
Neither of these approaches is optimal, or even close to optimal. Isolation exercises are nearly useless until you have developed a good foundation of strength and muscle mass. By “a good foundation” I don’t mean 6 weeks of training either: I’m talking about several years of solid training. Curls aren’t going to much of anything for you until you’re doing weighted chins and heavy rows, so don’t waste your time. And I’ll save you time by telling you that triceps extensions are always a pointless exercise.
When people new to lifting ask me what I recommend for them, I find myself recommending the Stronglifts 5×5 protocol more and more. I also find more and more people come back to me and tell me they love the program. Of all the approaches out there, I believe stronglifts 5×5 provides the greatest foundation for safe, enjoyable lifting. Whether you are male or female, want to lose fat or build muscle is irrelevant: 5×5 works and if you are getting started I cannot recommend it enough.
The 5×5 protocol is based around a few key compound lifts: squats, deadlifts, overhead press, bench press, and rows. The program provides a simple, efficient structure along with a progression for improving your lifts. Watching the weights increase will keep you motivated and help you learn (and improve) your weaknesses. You won’t waste time in the gym with lifts that don’t do much and you’ll learn good habits on the useful lifts. I think it’s near-impossible to follow the 5×5 program and not see results, provided you give any effort at all.
Check out the link above for a rundown of the 5×5 program, including a printable spreadsheet to track your progress, videos and articles about all the lifts, and a very detailed FAQ section and forum. If you are interested in more detailed book versions similar to the 5×5 program, I recommend Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and, for girls, Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess by Lou Schuler.
Good luck and happy lifting!
Edit: Want to see where you stand? Check out the Weightlifting Performance Standards compiled by 3 very competent strength coaches to see what you should expect to be able to perform at what level of training in the major lifts. There are charts for each of the lifts and for men and women. You have absolutely no business doing isolation exercises until you are at least in the intermediate range, unless you are rehabbing some sort of injury.
Nice… was just going to ask you about this.