So my friend and I are checking out the gym tomorrow and hopefully signing up.
Which means I need a plan. Does it make sense as a super super out of shape person to split workouts into leg day, arm day, etc? Or at this point is just doing a little of each every time a better idea?
Anyone have a suggested beginner routine? I have been googling, but I don't know how to tell if one routine is better than another?
Since I live in the arctic and it SNOWED TODAY
I am thinking of starting C25K at the gym on a treadmill. And doing running/weights on alternating days to start with?
I'm really excited
No
Simple is good, develop a habit of going. Pick one thing you don't like and make yourself do it, then do stuff you do like in short term.
My wife for example, never wanted to touch weights, only treadmill. Which to me is a one gigantic time sucking waste
So every day she'd do her treadmill and she picked 2 exercises to do as well, now she does a pretty good balance between strength training and treadmill. If she'd have gone in all weights all the time, she'd have been done in less than a month. So be honest with yourself, but push yourself too. The most important thing at this point is create a habit.
Split routines should be left to body builders. I don't think they are all that good for the general public or for athletes. Split routines do allow for "killer" workouts, but they also seem to be a lot about specialization and your muscles just don't work that way. Isolating a certain muscle and working the **** out of it can build a sexy muscle and leave you prone to injury as well.
For me, big movements that work large muscle groups and recruit the most fibers are the best. You get more done in a shorter amount of time and your body learns to work in a coordinated fashion like it was designed to do.
I'd get rid of every leg curl or extension machine on earth if I could. Melt them down and make something worthwhile
So, to start, i'd pick 4 sets for each muscle group and over the next couple weeks increase that to 6-8 sets. If you're really deconditioned to working out, the first 12 weeks of strength gains are all your nervous system adapting anyway so don't get to caught up in changing and adding variety and all that jazz. Just get good at what you're doing.
For example I'd do an entire body workout one day, leave a day or two for something else. Walk, jog, run with the dog, basket ball, hiking, biking, chase your nieces and nephews around a park, anything else that gets you active, then the next day, get back in and do weights.
Exercises to do, squats, lunges, leg press if you must use a machine. After a while you have romanian squats, one legged deadlifts, pistols, split squats, side lunges, etc.
Push ups, dumbell bench press, barbell press, after a while more dynamic movements, alligator crawls, one arm 1/2, on knees, whatever you need to do to make them challenging yet do them. Then you can do flat and varying inclines. Shoulder presses etc.
Rows (there's 20 varieties to do), chin ups, can't do one? find a machine that lets you add weight to help you. Or look for some strapping, like the jungle gym xt. you can hang those anywhere, even just by shutting a door on them and use your legs as need to be do the form correctly.
Learn form, create a habit. Avoid exercises that are very specific. Learn to use your core to stabilize doing the rest of your workout and save the 30 minutes on "abs" that every one seems to want to do. Another gigantic time sucking waste
Start fairly static and strict as you get better, make the moves more dynamic. Example, simple unweighted squat, then add weight, then add 18 inch box steps/Lunge or machine shoulder press (if that's what you're comfortable with, though I'd recommend a barbell press at least preferrably dumbells) Then maybe an assisted wall hand stand, then assisted wall walks, then handstand pushups. it's a progression and nobody starts at the top.
Build the strength, then make it more difficult in terms of being more dynamic or increase the weight.
I'm very long winded, so NO, do not worry about breaking things up. Do it all one day, 4-6 total sets per "body part" depending on your level and add as you advance. 6 months to a year from now, let's address this question again