Gym workouts offer many benefits to the body, helping to burn excess fat, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes. Additionally, physical training and bodybuilding effectively help build muscle and maintain a good physique, enabling you to achieve the body you’ve always dreamed of. Through today’s article, California will introduce you to gym workout methods that beginners should consider and implement. Let’s explore them now.
Traditional Weight Increasing Method
Moving on to the first approach, the traditional weight-lifting exercise stands out as an effective gym workout method for beginners. This is one of the most popular exercises favoured by many gym-goers. The key point of this classic method is to gradually increase the weight while decreasing the number of repetitions.
Before starting traditional weightlifting exercises, you need to determine the maximum weight your body can handle, your 1RM (One-Repetition Maximum). This term refers to the heaviest weight you can lift in a single repetition or your maximum lifting capacity. Calculating your RM is quite simple. For example, if you can bench press a maximum of 60kg, your 1RM is 60kg.
After determining your 1RM, perform 4 sets for each exercise. Sets 1 and 2 are warm-up exercises, while sets 3 and 4 are the main sets. Rest between sets for 90-120 seconds.
- Set 1: Warm up with 12-14 repetitions using weightlifting exercises that are approximately 40-50% of your 1RM.
- Set 2: Perform 8-10 repetitions with a weight that is 50-60% of your 1RM.
- Set 3: Reduce the number of repetitions to 6-8 times with a weight that is 70-80% of your 1RM.
- Set 4: Perform 4-6 repetitions with a weight that is approximately 80% of your 1RM.
Super-Set Method
Ranked among the most effective bodybuilding methods for beginners, a super-set is defined as a training method that combines two exercises, performed continuously and sequentially from one exercise to the other without rest in between. Super-sets are a suitable option for beginners who don’t have much time because, with this method, you don’t need to spend hours training, but the effectiveness of muscle gain and fat burning is still maximised.
With supersets, exercises can target different muscle groups or even work opposing muscles or the same group. Depending on your goals, combine two exercises for variety—examples include Bench Press and Dumbbell Fly, or Biceps Curls and Triceps Kickback.
Drop-set Method
One of the gym training methods that beginners should adopt is the drop-set. This type of exercise helps strengthen and consolidate muscle growth in a short training time. In drop-sets, you choose any exercise where the weight lifted gradually decreases until the muscles are exhausted, while the number of sets gradually increases and stops when you can no longer lift. Note that you should only rest for a short time between each set, ideally 10-15 seconds, the same amount of time as the weight reduction.
A typical drop-set consists of 4 sets, specifically as follows:
- Set 1: Push the weight with full effort at approximately 80% of your 1RM.
- Set 2: Lift a weight of approximately 70-60% of your 1RM.
- Set 3: Push with a weight of 50-60% of your 1RM.
- Set 4: Push with a weight of approximately 40-50% of your 1RM.
Straight Set Method
Straight sets can be considered one of the oldest gym training methods, but they are very effective for building muscle and burning fat, so those new to sports and bodybuilding exercises can consider choosing them. In this method, you will perform the same weight with the same number of sets. Specifically, with 100kg of weight for bench press, you will do approximately 3 sets (12 reps/set).
As you can see, the Straight Set is the basic training method that most advanced exercises are later built upon. Therefore, this training method is recommended for beginners who are just starting to learn about gym training.
The Pyramid Set Method
In the list of gym training methods suitable for beginners, the Pyramid Set is a popular choice for many when getting acquainted with this bodybuilding discipline. A major advantage of this method is that it does not depend on equipment. Simply put, you can use any type of weight you are familiar with to train, such as dumbbells, barbells, etc.
The Pyramid set focuses on creativity and consistent training. The workout isn’t too difficult; simply choose one or two favourite weightlifting exercises, perform a certain number of repetitions, then gradually reduce the weight to one repetition. The effect of this exercise on the body is significant because in the final repetition, you’ll be lifting heavy weights with high intensity. The Pyramid is an effective bodybuilding method that helps build muscle and lose fat quickly, while also improving overall health.
MaxOT (Maximum Overload Training)
MaxOT stands for Maximum Overload Training, meaning a training program that “maximises overload” of the muscles. The principle behind this exercise is to overload a muscle group by lifting heavy weights with low volume. MaxOT helps strengthen and consolidate muscle groups quickly, making it suitable for those who don’t have much time to exercise during the day.
To implement the MaxOT method, you need to follow these steps:
Perform 6-9 heavy sets for each muscle group, lifting 4-6 heavy weights per set. Focus on training 1-2 muscle groups per day. Rest between sets for 2-3 minutes.
Dedicate approximately 35-40 minutes each day to training.
Allocate 5-7 days for rest and recovery for each muscle group.
After 8-10 weeks of consistent training, allow about one week of rest for all muscle groups.
The above information provides helpful tips on effective gym training methods for beginners. Hopefully, after reading this article, you will find exercises suitable for your fitness level to begin your journey to regain your dream physique today.
The gym training methods for beginners are quite easy to understand; you can easily refer to and follow them. However, to ensure that your training process goes smoothly and to minimise the risk of injury, you should choose to train at reputable gyms to receive the best support and guidance.
