Can some Explain the simplest lifting routine for me?

[j123]

curls til you get the guns that turn on nuns
shoulder press to get the delts that make the ladies melt

 

[ChucksGlassJaw]

Do you want to get strong or big? They are different goals, although you can do both. Starting Strength is a good place to start. Follow guys like Jim Wendler and Mark Rippatoe. Read a couple books and just lift.

I'm not particularly big or strong, but I lift a lot and enjoy it. I don't really care about hypertrophy. I'm not going for a body builder physique. I pretty much only do these exercises now:

Overhead Press
Bench
Squat
Deadlift
Pull Up
Dip
Barbell Row
Band Pull Aparts

 

[gspieler]

I'd like to see some actual studies on that.

I think there's a reason that most entry-level exercise programs start people out with 10 reps. It's only entry-level strength-building programs that recommend 5 reps.

If the goal is hypertrophy, why not immediately jump into the 8 to 12 rep range, where it's been shown hypertrophy most effectively happens?

Because the volume in a 5x5 routine is more than sufficient for a beginner, to stimulate hypertrophy. Furthermore, I dont think that strength's contribution to size should be overlooked. If you jump right into a high-rep scheme, your strength advqnces will plateau much sooner. Without going too indepth, youre never going to get seriously big, without moving some relatively heavy weights. With a 5x5 routine, youre merely building the foundation, after which you can then specialize.

 

[Guestx]

Because the volume in a 5x5 routine is more than sufficient for a beginner, to stimulate hypertrophy. Furthermore, I dont think that strength's contribution to size should be overlooked. If you jump right into a high-rep scheme, your strength advqnces will plateau much sooner. Without going too indepth, youre never going to get seriously big, without moving some relatively heavy weights.

Plenty of people have significantly increased their size and strength without dropping below 8 reps.

And again, I don't think it's a coincidence that the vast majority of beginner exercise programs target 10 reps as a starting point.

If you have any studies that show that a beginner starting with a routine like 5x5 instead of a more traditional 3x10 leads to greater gains in hypertrophy then I'd be interested in reading them.

 

[gspieler]

Plenty of people have significantly increased their size and strength without dropping below 8 reps.

And again, I don't think it's a coincidence that the vast majority of beginner exercise programs target 10 reps as a starting point.

If you have any studies that show that a beginner starting with a routine like 5x5 instead of a more traditional 3x10 leads to greater gains in hypertrophy then I'd be interested in reading them.

The research on it is fairly limited IIRC. Feel free to cite data that supports your claim, though.

 

[wufabufa]

So doing 5x5 or SS is betetr than just doing 3 sets of 10 on basic lifts ?

Depends on the intensity. You need to use heavy enough weight to really challenge yourself. Both rep schemes are beneficial, it just depends on your goals. 5x5 yield more strength gains, 3x10 may give you increased hypertrophy. Both work, just slightly different results.

 

[JosephDredd]

Basically this. All that really matters beyond that are the small details such as correct form, which you can Google or lookup in any men's fitness issue, and knowing how to push your body and allow adequate rest without overdoing either.

I always like to go big and then work 2-3 or even 4 sets together in a continuous series, so say:

Fly bench with two 35s - 10 reps
Dips - 15 reps
Military dumbells with 30s - 10 reps
Plank for as long as you can hold it - although 30secs to a minute is great

Or I might start with the military lifts, in which case I'd go with like 45s and then probably just 30 or 25 on the flys

Just start doing shit, read up, always stretch, get a feel for it, listen to your body and get a pump on, breh.

Day 1
Squat
Bench
Row

Day 2
Straight-legged Deadlift
Overhead press
Pull-down

2x6-8, cycle the poundage religiously

 

[JosephDredd]

Plenty of people have significantly increased their size and strength without dropping below 8 reps.

And again, I don't think it's a coincidence that the vast majority of beginner exercise programs target 10 reps as a starting point.

If you have any studies that show that a beginner starting with a routine like 5x5 instead of a more traditional 3x10 leads to greater gains in hypertrophy then I'd be interested in reading them.

The research on it is fairly limited IIRC. Feel free to cite data that supports your claim, though.

I don't know if you guys are interested, but r/advancedfitness had been talking about this a lot recently. Lots of great threads with great info. Studies seem to show you can build size equally from just about any rep range.

Here's just one thread on it:


https://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedFi...ngth_and_hypertrophy_adaptations_between_low/

 

[Kirra]

I don't know if you guys are interested, but r/advancedfitness had been talking about this a lot recently. Lots of great threads with great info. Studies seem to show you can build size equally from just about any rep range.

Here's just one thread on it:


https://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedFi...ngth_and_hypertrophy_adaptations_between_low/

Yup, what seems to be most important for muscle growth is training with a high volume. This is usually easier to achieve with higher reps though, because doing a lot of sets of heavy tripples really fukking sucks.

 

[Atrfin]

I don't understand people who say you can't put on mass with strength programs and using a low rep range. I started lifting weights about 2.5 years ago as a 128lbs skinny skinny guy (5'7" shorty) . During this time I've done nothing but strength programs focusing on compound lifts and lifting only 2 days a week. I am currently 166lbs and not fat.

To contrast this, back in college I used to "lift" doing primarily bro-splits in the 8-10 rep range. I never got bigger than 145lbs doing that.

In my experience if you are underweight, strength programmes with a caloric surplus are perfectly fine to bring you to a healthy size in a fool proof way.

 

[Oblivian]

Plenty of people have significantly increased their size and strength without dropping below 8 reps.

And again, I don't think it's a coincidence that the vast majority of beginner exercise programs target 10 reps as a starting point.

If you have any studies that show that a beginner starting with a routine like 5x5 instead of a more traditional 3x10 leads to greater gains in hypertrophy then I'd be interested in reading them.

As long as you are overloading and eating enough, you'll make gains with either honestly. I do question starting someone with 10 reps on something like deadlifts. I've seen a lot of people throughout the years that seem hesitant to add more weight when working in that rep range. Honestly, I've seen it even with 5 reps. It holds people back from getting stronger which obviously affects total weight moved for size gains.

I think both set/rep ranges are meant to keep it simple for beginners. As someone gets further along, they figure out what rep ranges work best. It's not always going to be the same set/reps among lifts too.