Plus these compound or multi-joint exercises burn way more calories, build way more strength, and get you way more real world results than you will working out one single muscle.
Also, almost all photos are female because many women are scared of weights. I wanted to highlight that not only they can do it, but they won't look like some jacked up roid freak from doing them often.
All photos are from people I deem natural, and shows how lifting heavy makes your strong, and lean. Not bulky like Chyna from the WWF.
Also, reps and sets listed vary because there's so many different ways to train based on what your goal is.
Most of you are going for fat loss with some strength building so I based it off of a broad range for what you want. More reps with less weight for fat loss. Less reps and more weight for more muscle and strength. Somewhere in the middle for building muscle size, and burning fat.
Too much to get into in a beginner's blog.
Anyway, just read ahead and learn ya a thing or two about a thing or two.
Squats
Everybody's all over the squats now. Strength coaches, bodybuilders and even cross-fitters will all give you shit if you're not doing squats. Which I guess is a good thing since we had years of people skipping legs before.
Squats are possibly the most important workout. You will build larger, stronger legs, and as well as strengthen your core.
So many people skip squats and the next workout because they're hard work.
Keep your chest up, toes 30 degrees out, knees out, and go to parallel or a llittle below for the stretch reflex, and then pop back up.
Legs. Quads, Hhamstrings, Glutes,
3-5 sets of 3-12 reps.
Deadlift
A great workout for not only your back but your hamstrings and grip as well. Some people live by the deadlift...but you can also die by the deadlift. Well at least get injured easily. Trust me and others on that one.
Make sure you have your technique down before you start going heavy. Once you're good at these you'll definitely see why they're important. They will ststrengthen muscle in your back, lower posterior, and your grip.
Start with bar over middle of foot, knees past the bar, glutes, hams, lats, arms all tight, back arched, chest up, slack pulled out, then lift.
Drop quickly and don't let knees extend infront of bar on way down.
back, hamstrings, glutes, forearms.
1-3 sets of 3-6 reps.
Bench Press
Every guys favrorite workout and bragging right. Even women should do this. Hear that you crossfitters!?
Make sure elbows are 70 degrees to keep your shoulders safe.
Arch your back, and keep your scapula retracted, and aim the bar for your nipple line.
Make contact with chest, the explode back up.
You'll build your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
3-5 sets of 5-12 reps.
Bent Over Row
While most people say deadlift is the best overall back exercise, and other proclaim pullups and chinups, I believe the bent over row is the king of back exercises.
It works lats, rhomboids, rear delts, traps, and biceps. It's a much safer a workout than deadlifts, and t's easier for beginners to do than pullups.
You'll build your overall back with this exercise, plus your rear delts and biceps.
3-5 sets of 5-12 reps
Overhead Press
Works more of your body than bench press. Very important workout.
Unlike bench press that injures shoulders via building big delts but not rotator cuffs. This also works the rotator cuff by actually using them to ROTATE.
You'll also have more bragging rights by pressing you own bodyweight over benching your own bodyweight.
Grip a barbell tight around shoulder width and press overhead while keeping body straight. Aim for your nose on the way up, once the bar is past your face, push your head forward, lock out, aim the bar for your nose on the way down as well. Don't actually hit it!
Shoulders, upper chest, triceps, upper back
3-5 sets of 5-12 reps.
Pull Ups/Chinups
These work a large amount of back muscles as well. Lats, trapezius, rhomboids, biceps, detloids, just to name a few.
Plus you impress people when you can do a bunch of them.
The challenge is being able to do them. For beginners the best way is to use a jump stretch band to build the strenth.
You should feel your core working at the bottom, arms at the top, and back all the way through.
3-4 sets of 6-12 reps.
Skull Crushers
The one photo of a guy, because none of the female photos were done correctly.
The way to properly do it is to not actually crush your skull, or even get near it. Go behind your head and go down to a nice stretch, then come up. Come all the way up and contract your triceps for full range of motion.
This will bring in more muscles such as lats and stop you from hurting your elbows.
Make sure to flare out elbows on the way down as well to prevent tendentious.
Triceps, Lats, Core
2-3 sets of 6-12 reps.
Biecep Curls
Start at the top instead of the bottom. Keep elbows by the ribs come down almost all the way, use stretch reflex and come up. You can even cheat a little bit as there is a workout known as Cheat curls.
Just don't get dumb and cheat too much, as in catch the bar bar from underneath.
Aim for 2-3 sets of 6-12 reps.
Cable Crunches
I usually don't have people do ab workouts as you're working your abs already with all these workouts. But it makes people feel better to do so, as if they're actually flattening their abs so I comply. Plus some people could use a little extra core work to help with their other lifts so I'll give you one.
So many core workouts but this is one of the best.
Get on your knees, usually put a pad underneath unlike the girl in the photo. Grab the rope, keep around your head, use core to bring head to the floor, then come back up.
Your hands may hurt and need some adjusting, so be prepared for that. Go for around 20 reps.
Standing Calf Raises
Just kidding. Those are Donkey Calf Raises, and are a legitamate exercise but that's for people who are far ahead of you. Very advanced stuff.
Dumbbell, Kettlebell, whatever. Hold something if necessary to give you more tension. Hold something else to balance off of and be on top of something to where you can have full range of motion as in go down further than where your weight is balanced.
Once again aim for 20 reps, as calves need lots of reps and weight to grow. They're worked all day from you walking so need lots of extra stress to grow.
