Unfortunately, many novice athletes do not pay enough attention to their training program. This is very bad, because it is precisely the training scheme that is an important component of the training process. You can’t just come to the gym, do 20 approaches for biceps, and hope that this will give at least some positive result. Since you are reading this text now, we think you understand very well what we are talking about. But this begs the question - "And what, in fact, should be a training program." Well, we’ll try to figure this out. In our article today, we will tell you in detail on what principle it is worth to draw up a training scheme in the gym for men. In addition, as an example, we’ll post a ready-made training program. We recommend reading the article to the end so as not to miss anything important!
What is a training program for?
Before you learn how to draw up a training schedule for men, you must first understand why it is needed at all. A training plan is necessary so that classes in the gym bring the desired result. There are three main types of programs: for strength, for endurance, for muscle mass. Doing haphazardly, simply performing the exercises you like, you can, firstly, easily over-train some muscle groups (and under-train others), and secondly, seriously injure yourself. As a result, you will not achieve the desired results, and harm your health.
The best training program
You should immediately understand that there is no such universal training program that would suit absolutely all athletes. Each of us has a different genetics, body structure, age and so on. All these indicators should definitely be considered before drawing up a muscle training scheme. Even if you can make a training plan that will be perfect for you, then it will have to be changed after a while. The fact is that in 3-6 months your muscles adapt to the loads that they receive on a regular basis, and at some point their growth will simply stop.
Programming Principles
What should be considered when drawing up a training schedule per week?
- Focus on all muscles. Many beginners very often focus on a particular muscle group. As a rule, they are looking for patterns of abs training for men or biceps (that is, the most popular muscles that you can brag about for girls), while completely forgetting about the other muscle groups. Remember: if you want to get a beautiful, aesthetic and harmoniously developed physique, then you need to train all the muscles.
- Plan. Your lesson in the gym should be carried out according to the following principle: at the beginning of the workout, a warm-up is required (5-10 minutes). After it, you perform 3-4 exercises for one large muscle group (chest, back or legs), and then 3-4 exercises for a small muscle group (biceps, triceps or shoulders). The most popular gym workout routine for men is a three-day split. By split, you train 3 times a week: on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (or on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday). For example, the first day is allocated for training the chest and triceps, the second for the back and biceps, and the third for the legs and shoulders. After working out on the split, you can set aside 5-10 minutes for a hitch at the end of the workout.
- Identify top priorities. Lagging muscle groups can be trained twice a week, but with the condition that 2-3 days have elapsed between classes.
- Choose the exercise that suits you the most. In the training of athletes who are engaged without the use of anabolic steroids, a basic role is played by basic movements - bench press lying, deadlift, squats with a barbell. If you do not have contraindications, they should be performed to work out large muscle groups. In addition, do not forget about isolated exercises. All movements can be varied to measure effectiveness. However, the direct choice of exercises depends primarily on what training equipment you have at home or in the gym.
- Plan the number of sets and reps. The recommended number of sets of one exercise for each muscle group is 3-4. In each approach, it is worth doing from 6 to 12 repetitions.
- Keep a diary. No training scheme for men is complete without a training diary. The diary is necessary in order to track their achievements and successes, as well as to note weaknesses.
Circular training: scheme
This type of activity is different from the standard split. Their essence is that instead of the usual 3-4 approaches in the exercise, you perform a complex that consists of exercises that follow one after another. All movements are performed without rest. After completing the first round, you can rest for a few minutes, and then you will need to start all over again.
The benefits of a roundabout are:
- The fight against stagnation. If the classic three-day split no longer gives past results, then circular training can be a salvation. Studying in the completely opposite system, the athlete gives his muscles a completely new load, which ultimately responds to muscle growth.
- Increased growth hormone levels and fat burning effect. When you exercise without rest between sets, the duration of the workout decreases, and its intensity increases. Due to this, the level of growth hormone, which is necessary when building muscles, increases. In addition, with such trainings, excess fat deposits are "faster" burning!
Since such sports are very intense, they are not suitable for beginner athletes with a low level of physical fitness. People who have heart problems should also give up on them.
An example of a circular workout will be shown in the last section.
Main mistakes
If you have just recently started going to the gym, you should avoid the following mistakes:
- Work with very large weights. Beginners should start with small loads, and then gradually increase them. If the implementation of the approach is very difficult for you, your technique suffers and you start to “read”, then this suggests that you should lower the working weight. Improper exercise, firstly, at times reduces their effectiveness, and secondly, can lead to injury to joints and tendons.
- Work with very small weights. Reinsurance is, of course, very important, but if you can perform more than 30 repetitions in one approach, it means that the weight is worth increasing. For beginners who have never before played sports, it is recommended to work in a multi-repetitive mode (10-15 repetitions in each approach) so that the muscles gradually get used to the loads. Recommendation: increase working weight by no more than 5%.
- Exercise pace too fast. If you perform the training movements slowly and in a controlled manner, this will lead to more muscle tension and will significantly reduce the risk of injury. Do not forget that your joints are as strong as the muscles surrounding them.
- Lack or excess of time allotted for rest between sets. Both factors negatively affect training. On average, it is recommended to rest for 90 seconds between sets (if you feel that this time is not enough for you, then you can increase it).
Beginner Gym Rules
Each novice athlete should know what is needed and what, on the contrary, does not need to be done in the gym:
- When you have finished the exercise, be sure to return the dumbbells, barbells, pancakes for barbells and other equipment to the place.
- Do not rest too long between sets if other people are waiting in line.
- Always bring along a towel that you can put on exercise machines and benches where you will perform exercises.
We have already told you about how to draw up a workout chart in the gym for men. Now we would like to share some useful recommendations with you. They will help make your workouts more effective and safer.
Why do you need to warm up?
We already wrote about this earlier, but we will write again, as many beginners prefer to ignore such an important topic. But in vain: a warm-up is necessary in order, firstly, to warm up and tune in to training, and secondly, to prepare joints and tendons for subsequent loads. Someone may say: "But after all, the warm-up takes away the strength and time that can be spent on the training itself!" If you also think so, then think what you think is better: spend 5-10 minutes to warm up or several weeks to treat the injury that you received because you did not stretch yourself?
The Importance of Proper Nutrition
For beginners, the scheme of muscle training without any doubt plays a big role in the training process. But do not forget about proper nutrition. This applies to absolutely everyone: those who train to gain mass, and those who want to lose weight. You can train according to the best training scheme in the gym for men, but if your diet will consist of flour, sweets and semi-finished products, then you can not even dream of a beautiful and aesthetic physique. Proper nutrition and exercise should go hand in hand.
Why you should not train every day?
At the beginning of their sports career, many beginners try to find a training scheme for every day, because they believe that daily sports will bring them closer to the desired results. In fact, such programs lead to the exact opposite effect. If you work out every day, it will quickly drive your body into a state of overtraining. That is why it is important to engage in the split system, where after each training session there is one or two days of rest.
Technique and safety
Before adding this or that exercise to your strength training scheme, make sure that you have thoroughly studied the technique of its implementation. It will be best if your coach or a more experienced friend from the gym will control how you make this power movement. If you feel that the exercise makes you uncomfortable and painful, even if you are doing it correctly, then you need to change it to a less dangerous one. Remember: safety comes first!
Workout at home
Is it possible to pump up, doing push-ups, squats and pull-ups? We won’t give you false hopes, but let’s say it as it is: no, you won’t be able to pump up if you perform exercises only with your own body weight. At first, of course, you will see the effect of such training, as your body is not used to even such loads. But over time, your body adapts, and if you want to gain muscle mass, then you will have to use additional weight in your workouts. Ideally, of course, have collapsible dumbbells at home, the weight of which can be adjusted. If there are no dumbbells, you can take the improvised things used in everyday life: a backpack in which you can put books, large bottles that can be filled with water / sand / stones, and other materials. An example of a workout at home using household items is shown in the last section.
Video lessons
For beginners, we recommend the following scheme. Repeat 3 times a week.
The next training option is a circular option. It is better to consider athletes with a certain experience of power loads.
The home workout scheme for men is a set of affordable exercises. They can be seen further.
Now you know how to draw up a training scheme in the gym and at home for men. We hope that the recommendations provided in the article will be useful to you. Put our advice into practice and then you will definitely be able to achieve the desired results. We wish you success in training!