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Comment by johnswamps | Hacker News Reader

Please don't do this. If you're going to work out (and you should!), you want to use a real routine. Here's a quick check: if your routine doesn't involve doing all of weighted squating, deadlifting, and benching every week, it's a bad routine (for beginners). Every day that you work out (and you shouldn't more than every other day) should be a full body workout. Skip all that crappy machine work, there's really no substitute for a barbell. I suggest either doing the Starting Strength or Stronglifts routines (google them). Also, don't forget to do research into what to eat. If you're trying to gain weight, eat 500 calories above your maintainence level every day, if you want to lose it eat 500 under.

Don't just make up your own routine. It'll certainly be ineffective and could lead to muscle imbalances and injuries.

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I'm not sure what you've written here is entirely in opposition to the Crossfit philosophy, although they don't emphasize bench. I agree that beginners should be cautious about learning the movements properly and scaling.

Crossfit hits all the major groups, but not every day. You might hit squats one day, then the next be doing running and pullups--one group recovers while you work others.

I'm not claiming that Crossfit is perfect for everyone. If you're training for specific sports or for general bulk or for a model's physique with a lot of non-functional muscle, then maybe Crossfit isn't ideal for you. I just haven't seen any better all-around program for a sound athletic base.

I believe splitting things up that much is counter productive. You're better off getting contiguous three and four day periods of rest. The typical human body just isn't made for sustained stress like that.

Also, any approach that turns exercise into some near daily chore is a bad idea. You will burn out on it. Ideally, exercise should be somewhat spontaneous.

if your routine doesn't involve doing all of weighted squating, deadlifting, and benching every week, it's a bad routine (for beginners).

Do you have any references for that?

I'd have thought barbells aren't necessary for beginners. Barbell deadlifting seems a bit dangerous for someone untrained.

I have been using dumbbells myself. I gained quite a bit of muscle in 3 months, and perhaps I could lift a barbell now, but certainly not 3 months ago.

Read the starting strength book (has 147/154 5 star reviews on Amazon, the other 7 are 4 star): http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-Practical-Coaching-B...

Barbells are only 45 pounds. I can't imagine that anyone would start off deadlifting or squatting less than that. The only exercise that you might need to start with dumbbells with is the press, maybe also bench if you're really out of shape or female. Doing the dumbbell variations of the major exercises is ok, but the reason I didn't mention them is because most people can do 45 pound lifts.

But you're right, you need to be careful to do the lifts right. The SS book is several hundred pages only devoted to the exercises in the program (squats, bench, power clean, press, and deadlift) and is an excellent guide to make sure you're doing every exercise correctly.

Thanks for the book reference!

Actually the main reason I'm doing dumbbells-only is because I can do it at home and for "free" (apart from the $100 initial investment).

I agree that Crossfit is not a beginners routine, so the title of this post is possibly misleading. That being said, Crossfit is a great routine for someone who is already in decent shape (looking to get in better shape) and doesn't have hours to spend in the gym. I've been doing Crossfit (not religiously, but as much as I can) for about a year now, and not only does it get you in great shape, but it's fun.

I guess if you're completely unfamiliar with running, lifting, and movements like pullups and pushups, then you should probably start by going to an affiliate where a trainer can start you out on proper progressions, as opposed to learning the movements yourself. But I don't think going from couch-potato to Crossfit is any worse/harder than going from couch-potato to the sorts of low-effectiveness workouts I see out-of-shape people doing at the gym all the time. The key is knowing or getting to know your own body.

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