Bill Starr explains how to plan strength work for maximum gains.
If a program for beginners is fundamentally sound and they get in their workouts consistently and put lots of effort into them, they will make progress.
The very best program for beginners is one that gives equal attention to the three major muscle groups: shoulder girdle, back, and hips and legs. Gains come quickly and steadily, and if the athletes are getting a sufficient amount of rest and eating wholesome foods the numbers climb even more rapidly.
As he perfects the form on the various exercises in his program, he becomes even stronger and can’t wait to get back to the weight room for his next session. Most self-taught beginners push each of the lifts to limit at every workout, believing that this is the only way to stimulate the muscles and attachments so that they grow bigger and stronger. And for some time, this works well.
But invariably they hit a wall. They’re stuck at using the same amounts of weight at every workout, and on some they’re using less than they previously handled. Very frustrating. Fortunately, there are a great many sources of information to remedy the situation, including managing volume and intensity during a week of training.