HanhChampion's gym guide for starters

I'm writing this for the guys that have decided to take the step on improving themselves. I'm not going to lie. This isn't easy. It's not a walk in the park. It's not buying a bolt-on accessory and having 18 inch arms installed the next day. You're going to have to do some work. Hence its called a workout. The more time/ money you invest in this; the faster the results will come. Yes it costs money for food, supplementation, gym membership, etc etc. It's expensive. Life is expensive. If you want a nice car you're going to have to spend some money on it. Think of what car you can get for $1500 vs $15000 vs $150,000. Get the idea? If you want nice things it will cost you. Here we're aiming for a nice physique. 

 

Go to the gym.      For those that ask me to do 'home workouts' the answer is no. I'm not going to make stuff up that I don't do. If you want to buy used equipment and have space to train at home you can do so. The thing about that is that it is convenient. So you can always put it off till later. Later tends to be tomorrow.. and delayed till next week. That's why people always sell their used gym equipment that has barely even been touched.

Buying a gym membership is a good idea. So try out a few gyms and see which ones you like. They usually have free trials on their websites.

Try going on weekends and avoid peek hours (usually 4pm-7pm) because the gym is packed. This will give you more time to get familiar with the equipments so you won't be in a rush.

Wear proper gym attire. You're not going to go diving in a track suit, and you're not going to go riding in a diving suit. So get some gym clothes and shoes. Jeans and dress shoes are not the best idea for weight lifting. I think you get the idea and I don't need to explain further. 

Don't give up.     I've heard this quote so many times "I'm starting the gym, again" Keyword there is "AGAIN" meaning you quit. I've kept up with this since 2006 and stuck with it so if you want results you're going to have to not quit. There's been times where I was consumed in work that I was so tired. I still managed to go to the gym just to keep up with what I gained. All the money you spend on yourself you can lose all within a matter of weeks if you quit. There are times I was injured from riding. Injured from working out. I tore my chest about 10 times. I still went and did legs. I got nice legs out of injuring my chest so that turned out well. Whatever you do just don't quit.

Don't worry about other people.     Focus on yourself. Before you go work out; have your mindset to going in there and getting your training done. That's it. Don't worry about if someone's bigger than you. Lifting 10x more weights than you. Don't worry about people looking at you. Chances are nobody pays attention to you when you start. You're there for yourself.

Do it for you.     Whatever your motivation may be... it should all come down to just doing it for yourself. Not to get women. Looks will get you there but personality keeps you there. So if you're aiming just for looks you're seriously going to attract the wrong type of females. Anyways, you're doing it because you want to improve yourself.

One step at a time.   This is all about progress. Whether you're fat or skinny we all have to start somewhere. We have to crawl before we walk. So take things one step at a time. You're not going to go in the gym for the first time and bench 405lbs. I could barely do 95 lbs when I started. Get familiar with the machines and equipment there first. You don't have to add much weight to start with. So set a steady pace to start off with and when you get the hang of things then push yourself harder every week.

It's also very important to warm up. It will help you avoid injuries. No matter if you're a beginner or advanced its still very important. So spend about 5-10 minutes stretching and warming up before jumping to the weights. Even with the weights don't jump to the heaviest ones so quick. Give yourself some time to get the blood flowing first.

Rest.     Sleep early if you can. This when you actually grow. You don't grow when you're lifting. So get a good 8hrs rest if you can. Get up early so you can fit more meals in your schedule. Naps also help you recover so if you have time do that too. Take one or two rest days a week to let your muscles fully recover. You'll pretty much feel sore everyday but that's normal. So get used to the pain.

Water.     This is very important for working out. You need a good amount of water. I get in about 2 gallons a day. It makes a big difference for recovery and lifting. No, you can not have too much water. Your body is mostly made of water. Yes you have to run to the bathroom every 30mins to an hour but that's just how it is.

Diet.     None of this will work if you can't eat right. Basic dieting has been already covered here: http://hanhchampion.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-diet.html


Supplements.     The base of muscle growth is protein. So whether you're bulking or dieting you're going to need protein to build muscle. No, fat does not turn into muscle. Muscle cannot turn into fat. They are two completely different compounds. You can watch the basic supplement video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KdntJiRn6M

Workout routine? Stick to the basics.     Lets not re-invent the wheel. Do what already is known to work. Whatever your routine is try to implement these three main compound lifts: Squats, Bench, Dead lifts. They're going to give you the fastest gains as they target multiple muscles. Leave the isolated movements (tricep extensions, bicep curls, etc.. ) at the end of your workout or at the end of your workout week. Start the hard stuff first because you will have more energy. I would say legs because they take up a lot of energy since you use your whole body for balance. As far as days of working out and time; that is dependent of your own schedule. These are just some examples.

Example workout routine for bulking.
Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Chest/ triceps
Day 3: Back/ biceps
Day 4: Shoulders
Day 5: Legs
Day 6: Rest day
Day 7: Rest day

Weight training time: 1 hour
Sets: 3 to 5 sets
Rep ranges: 10-12 moderate, 8-10 heavy, 6-8 heavy
Weights: moderate to heavy
Rest time: 1-2 minutes in-between sets

This would be good for those that have very low fat and want to pack on size. Gradually increase your weights to heavy since you're starting out. Heavy weights build denser muscles and forces muscles to grow, along with proper supplementation and diet of course. Remember if you have fat on you and you try to bulk then it would only keep the existing fat there and also increase your current percentage of fat. 


Example workout routine for cutting.
Day 1: Legs + Cardio
Day 2: Chest/ triceps + Cardio
Day 3: Back/ biceps + Cardio
Day 4: Shoulders + Cardio
Day 5: Legs + Cardio
Day 6: Cardio
Day 7: Rest day
Weight training time: 30-45 minutes
Cardio training time: 15 minutes + add 5 minutes every week
Rep ranges: 12-15 with lighter weights
Weights: light weights
Rest time: 30 seconds to 1 minute in-between sets

For those that have some fat on them this would be good. Weights are not as important as the cardio at this time. No matter how much you lift you won't see any type of definition underneath the fat. So you'll probably be discouraged from all your hard work and quit. I've had a lot of people tell me this so I'm saving you the time now. For cardio, start off walking on the treadmill say for 15 minutes the first week and increase the pace / time gradually every week. Add 5 minutes each week so you wont burn yourself out. It becomes too difficult and you're not going to want to be consistent with it. Remember its all about progress. The higher the intensity/ duration the more fat you will burn. Your body will burn carbs off first as a primary source of energy. Once that is depleted then it will switch to fat as secondary source of energy. This is where it interacts with dieting as I explained about reducing the amount of carbs or having no carbs at all.


If you've taken the time to read this far and have a good understanding then you will do well. I've written this as if I were to go back when I started I would tell myself what I know now and this is it!