[h=1]Your First Bodybuilding Program[/h][h=2]Dorian Yates' Plan for Max Growth[/h]
Too often in magazines, we assume that the readers all have at least an intermediate experience level with regards to bodybuilding. The fact is, there are always beginners picking up MD for the first time and looking for information on how to proceed. Unfortunately, many of them will simply look at the training articles of advanced guys like Dexter Jackson and Jay Cutler and copy what they do. This is far from the best way to form a foundation. What newcomers need is both a far more basic and simplified routine and approach, as well as explanations about the very fundamentals of how to build muscle.
A Preface About Preliminary Research
Before we begin, I want to let you know that there’s nothing wrong with holding off to start until you’ve given yourself at least a basic education about training and nutrition. When I started bodybuilding at 21, I had done a bit of weight training for brief periods before. But once I decided to commit to being the best bodybuilder I could, I wanted to make sure I was going about it the proper way. I spent a solid month doing nothing but reading everything I could get my hands on about training and nutrition. In a way, the relative scarcity of information available at the time (1983) compared to what you all have at the click of a mouse in 2012 was a blessing. There’s so much information to be had now that you can easily get overwhelmed and confused. So let me break it down for you in very simple terms.
How Do You Get Muscles to Grow? Respecting the Process of Stress and Recovery
Muscle growth is basically the body’s way of adapting to increased stress placed on the muscles. As you give them increasingly greater stress in the form of higher intensity and resistance, the adaptation response is growth to accommodate the stress. However, growth will only take place if the muscle has fully recovered and super-compensated. If this process is interrupted— for example, the muscle is trained again before it has recovered or if it is put under too much stress (typically in the form of excess exercise volume) and not given ample time to recover— the muscle will not grow. It’s critical that this process is understood, as we construct effective routines around it. Even though some people do recover faster than others, the general principle must always be respected.
When I began bodybuilding in the early-to-mid-1980s, one popular myth being perpetuated was that the more advanced you became, the greater your training volume and frequency should become. This was in essence completely backwards. As you get bigger and stronger, you are able to generate more stress in your training. As such, you will need more time to recover from workouts, not less. Take a beginner, for example, who is able to squat 100 pounds for 10 reps. That set is less stressful to his legs and his system overall than one he may do in a couple of years where he squats 500 pounds for 10 reps. The fact is, beginners can train more frequently because they aren’t strong enough yet to put extreme demands on their body. Thus, they will recover faster. And one thing most people never consider is that even though your muscles do get much bigger and stronger over time, your nervous system is still the same as it ever was. Its ability to recover from stress never increases, so putting greater stress on it and more frequently will only render it incapable of ever fully recovering from your workouts. In essence, you will be in a perpetual state of overtraining, and gains will be impossible.
Beginner Routine
The first routine I followed was essentially half the body one day and the other half the next, as such:
Monday: Chest, back and delts
Wednesday: Arms and legs
Friday: Chest, back and legs
What I also liked about this routine was the fact that due to the fact I only trained on those days, each body part would be worked twice a week one week and just once the next— though to be more accurate, the real difference was either once every four days or once every six days. I performed only basic exercises, and each workout took between 60-90 minutes. The results were excellent. But as I grew bigger and stronger, I could no longer train each body part as frequently. Or rather, I could; but I found I couldn’t recover as quickly as I had initially.
One question I’ve been asked about this routine is whether it could simply be done every other day instead of Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The answer is yes it could— however, the flexibility always needs to be in place to take a second day off training if you feel you need it at any point. You’re always better off in the long run erring on the side of training less rather than more.
Intermediate Routine
After a year on the two-way split, I decided to break the body up into four distinct training days:
Day 1:Chest and biceps
Day 2:Legs
Day 3:OFF
Day 4:Shoulders and triceps
Day 5:Back
Day 6:OFF
Even with this schedule, I paid close attention to my energy and strength levels and would take an extra day off to rest if I needed it. There were times when my leg workouts were so demanding and exhausting that I would take two days off from weights rather than one, for instance. It’s important that you do keep a close watch on these things. As I stated before, there is no point in training a muscle before the damage inflicted during its last workout has been fully repaired. I’ve been asked if it’s OK to train a muscle while it’s still sore— absolutely not!
With this routine, I still kept the basic free-weight movements but would add in more isolation exercises like lateral raises and such. You should always be progressive and add weight when you can, but never at the expense of proper form. It’s best to focus on good form in your early years, as this is when you lay your foundation and make good habits. Remember that good form is how you ensure the stress of any given exercise is being directed to the target muscle, where you want it.
I know I called this an “intermediate routine” but really, it’s what I did for the rest of my competitive career. I would do 3 sets per exercise, each one progressively heavier. Up until 1991, the last two of those sets were taken to failure. In 1991, I made the change to only go to failure on the final set. This was again respecting the fact that I had reached an advanced level of mass and strength and was now able to put far more stress on the muscles during workouts. Even training a muscle once every six days, I found that I couldn’t recover fully until I cut back to just the 1 set to failure per exercise. The goal was to do as little as possible to stimulate growth, and this turned out to be the perfect formula for me and my needs at that time.
Nutrition Basics
To provide your body with the fuel for hard training as well as to recover and grow, you should be eating five to six meals per day. Protein is your priority, and you should strive for 1.5 grams per day per pound of bodyweight. Not all your protein needs to come from solid food sources. Most of you work and/or go to school, and don’t have the time or freedom to sit down six times a day to eat. I also found that my jaw would get sore from chewing so much chicken and so on. This is when a high-quality protein shake comes in handy. I used to have three meals a day of all solid foods, and three meals that were protein shakes along with either a bowl of rice or a potato. Don’t let anyone tell you that protein shakes aren’t a good choice. They’re really nothing more than a more easily digested form of the protein than you would get from chicken, eggs, beef or fish.
Carbohydrates are also essential, and a good starting point is to double your protein. So if you’re a 200-pound guy and taking in 300 grams a day of protein, eat 600 grams of carbs. If you still aren’t making gains, add a bit more. If you find yourself gaining body fat, cut them back some.
You also want healthy fats in your diet, and you will get those from whole eggs, red meat, salmon and nuts. Back when I started in the ‘80s, fat was considered the enemy. Since then, we have come around to the fact that it’s actually very beneficial for recovery and growth, in moderate amounts and not the saturated types, of course.
Rest and Relax to Grow
The final essential piece of the recovery and growth process is rest. If you are serious about gaining muscle mass, you must aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night. If you can also get in a 30-45-minute nap in the afternoon, even better. Additionally, you need to keep cortisol (a catabolic hormone that will actually interfere with gains) low by doing your best to keep your stress levels to a minimum. We all have problems that we can stress out over if we allow ourselves to. The difference is in how we react to them. If things are simply out of your control, there is no point in worrying about them or letting them bother you. It also needs to be said that excessive partying and drinking will have a negative effect on your efforts to build your physique. A couple of beers on the weekend won’t derail you, but getting falling-down drunk most certainly will.
Summary
So it you’re just starting out, forget all about the routines you see in the magazines that have you training six days a week, sometimes twice a day! More isn’t better in this case. I won six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles by training just four days a week for 45-50 minutes a workout. Use your time efficiently in the gym and train harder, not longer. Hit the muscles hard, give them time to rest, fuel your body with the right nutrients, and you will be very pleased with your results. Follow my basic plan and prepare to grow.
Too often in magazines, we assume that the readers all have at least an intermediate experience level with regards to bodybuilding. The fact is, there are always beginners picking up MD for the first time and looking for information on how to proceed. Unfortunately, many of them will simply look at the training articles of advanced guys like Dexter Jackson and Jay Cutler and copy what they do. This is far from the best way to form a foundation. What newcomers need is both a far more basic and simplified routine and approach, as well as explanations about the very fundamentals of how to build muscle.
A Preface About Preliminary Research
Before we begin, I want to let you know that there’s nothing wrong with holding off to start until you’ve given yourself at least a basic education about training and nutrition. When I started bodybuilding at 21, I had done a bit of weight training for brief periods before. But once I decided to commit to being the best bodybuilder I could, I wanted to make sure I was going about it the proper way. I spent a solid month doing nothing but reading everything I could get my hands on about training and nutrition. In a way, the relative scarcity of information available at the time (1983) compared to what you all have at the click of a mouse in 2012 was a blessing. There’s so much information to be had now that you can easily get overwhelmed and confused. So let me break it down for you in very simple terms.
Muscle growth is basically the body’s way of adapting to increased stress placed on the muscles. As you give them increasingly greater stress in the form of higher intensity and resistance, the adaptation response is growth to accommodate the stress. However, growth will only take place if the muscle has fully recovered and super-compensated. If this process is interrupted— for example, the muscle is trained again before it has recovered or if it is put under too much stress (typically in the form of excess exercise volume) and not given ample time to recover— the muscle will not grow. It’s critical that this process is understood, as we construct effective routines around it. Even though some people do recover faster than others, the general principle must always be respected.
When I began bodybuilding in the early-to-mid-1980s, one popular myth being perpetuated was that the more advanced you became, the greater your training volume and frequency should become. This was in essence completely backwards. As you get bigger and stronger, you are able to generate more stress in your training. As such, you will need more time to recover from workouts, not less. Take a beginner, for example, who is able to squat 100 pounds for 10 reps. That set is less stressful to his legs and his system overall than one he may do in a couple of years where he squats 500 pounds for 10 reps. The fact is, beginners can train more frequently because they aren’t strong enough yet to put extreme demands on their body. Thus, they will recover faster. And one thing most people never consider is that even though your muscles do get much bigger and stronger over time, your nervous system is still the same as it ever was. Its ability to recover from stress never increases, so putting greater stress on it and more frequently will only render it incapable of ever fully recovering from your workouts. In essence, you will be in a perpetual state of overtraining, and gains will be impossible.
The first routine I followed was essentially half the body one day and the other half the next, as such:
Monday: Chest, back and delts
Wednesday: Arms and legs
Friday: Chest, back and legs
What I also liked about this routine was the fact that due to the fact I only trained on those days, each body part would be worked twice a week one week and just once the next— though to be more accurate, the real difference was either once every four days or once every six days. I performed only basic exercises, and each workout took between 60-90 minutes. The results were excellent. But as I grew bigger and stronger, I could no longer train each body part as frequently. Or rather, I could; but I found I couldn’t recover as quickly as I had initially.
One question I’ve been asked about this routine is whether it could simply be done every other day instead of Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The answer is yes it could— however, the flexibility always needs to be in place to take a second day off training if you feel you need it at any point. You’re always better off in the long run erring on the side of training less rather than more.
After a year on the two-way split, I decided to break the body up into four distinct training days:
Day 1:Chest and biceps
Day 2:Legs
Day 3:OFF
Day 4:Shoulders and triceps
Day 5:Back
Day 6:OFF
Even with this schedule, I paid close attention to my energy and strength levels and would take an extra day off to rest if I needed it. There were times when my leg workouts were so demanding and exhausting that I would take two days off from weights rather than one, for instance. It’s important that you do keep a close watch on these things. As I stated before, there is no point in training a muscle before the damage inflicted during its last workout has been fully repaired. I’ve been asked if it’s OK to train a muscle while it’s still sore— absolutely not!
With this routine, I still kept the basic free-weight movements but would add in more isolation exercises like lateral raises and such. You should always be progressive and add weight when you can, but never at the expense of proper form. It’s best to focus on good form in your early years, as this is when you lay your foundation and make good habits. Remember that good form is how you ensure the stress of any given exercise is being directed to the target muscle, where you want it.
I know I called this an “intermediate routine” but really, it’s what I did for the rest of my competitive career. I would do 3 sets per exercise, each one progressively heavier. Up until 1991, the last two of those sets were taken to failure. In 1991, I made the change to only go to failure on the final set. This was again respecting the fact that I had reached an advanced level of mass and strength and was now able to put far more stress on the muscles during workouts. Even training a muscle once every six days, I found that I couldn’t recover fully until I cut back to just the 1 set to failure per exercise. The goal was to do as little as possible to stimulate growth, and this turned out to be the perfect formula for me and my needs at that time.
To provide your body with the fuel for hard training as well as to recover and grow, you should be eating five to six meals per day. Protein is your priority, and you should strive for 1.5 grams per day per pound of bodyweight. Not all your protein needs to come from solid food sources. Most of you work and/or go to school, and don’t have the time or freedom to sit down six times a day to eat. I also found that my jaw would get sore from chewing so much chicken and so on. This is when a high-quality protein shake comes in handy. I used to have three meals a day of all solid foods, and three meals that were protein shakes along with either a bowl of rice or a potato. Don’t let anyone tell you that protein shakes aren’t a good choice. They’re really nothing more than a more easily digested form of the protein than you would get from chicken, eggs, beef or fish.
Carbohydrates are also essential, and a good starting point is to double your protein. So if you’re a 200-pound guy and taking in 300 grams a day of protein, eat 600 grams of carbs. If you still aren’t making gains, add a bit more. If you find yourself gaining body fat, cut them back some.
You also want healthy fats in your diet, and you will get those from whole eggs, red meat, salmon and nuts. Back when I started in the ‘80s, fat was considered the enemy. Since then, we have come around to the fact that it’s actually very beneficial for recovery and growth, in moderate amounts and not the saturated types, of course.
The final essential piece of the recovery and growth process is rest. If you are serious about gaining muscle mass, you must aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night. If you can also get in a 30-45-minute nap in the afternoon, even better. Additionally, you need to keep cortisol (a catabolic hormone that will actually interfere with gains) low by doing your best to keep your stress levels to a minimum. We all have problems that we can stress out over if we allow ourselves to. The difference is in how we react to them. If things are simply out of your control, there is no point in worrying about them or letting them bother you. It also needs to be said that excessive partying and drinking will have a negative effect on your efforts to build your physique. A couple of beers on the weekend won’t derail you, but getting falling-down drunk most certainly will.
Summary
So it you’re just starting out, forget all about the routines you see in the magazines that have you training six days a week, sometimes twice a day! More isn’t better in this case. I won six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles by training just four days a week for 45-50 minutes a workout. Use your time efficiently in the gym and train harder, not longer. Hit the muscles hard, give them time to rest, fuel your body with the right nutrients, and you will be very pleased with your results. Follow my basic plan and prepare to grow.
